


Recipe for Disaster

by enchantedlightningwrites



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, Chef!Zari Tomaz, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Inspired by The Sims Pet Stories, POV Zari Tomaz, Some Things Are Explained with Sims Logic, Zari Tomaz | Zari Tarazi-Centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26420530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enchantedlightningwrites/pseuds/enchantedlightningwrites
Summary: Zari Tomaz is a successful chef who lives a highly predictable life. However, it turns upside down, the moment she gets to take care of her brother's cat. The two are at odds at the moment they meet, and it's even worse that this happens when she has to cater for the annual Midnight Masquerade.Can this cat get her out of the kitchen, and find a way to deal with the unexpected in her life?
Relationships: Amaya Jiwe/Zari Tomaz | Zari Tarazi, Sara Lance & Zari Tomaz | Zari Tarazi, Zari Tomaz & Original Pets
Kudos: 2
Collections: Flarrowverse Shipyard





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sul sul! It's been awhile since I last wrote a multi-chaptered fic, and I hope to finish this one before 2020's over. I, for one, have been simming since I was MIA in the writing sphere, but my mind managed to gather new ideas. And this is one of them! I have played it twice, and it's completely WILD.
> 
> So, I decided to use the 'Midnight Masquerade' mission/story as an AU for Zari, because she has something in common with Stephen Loyal. IDK what is really is, but however, their lives are train-wrecks for one. Two, cats are involved in. . . :D
> 
> Be warned that there might be things that might not make sense? As in things appearing out of nowhere, or how EVERYONE changes their outfit so quickly. Like I'm using some good ol' Sims Logic for the story, and it might be jarring at some points.
> 
> [Here](https://enchanted-lightning-aes.tumblr.com/post/629037026427158529/for-todays-release-of-the-first-chapter-of-recipe) are some of the original characters appearances, if you want a clear image of them.
> 
> Updates might be weekly or twice a week, and it all depends on how long it takes for me to write.

In the huge house in the middle of no-where, the clouds fill the sky above the roof. The door of the fridge swings open when she gets the ingredients for today's breakfast. She puts it all in the blender, then presses the switch to mix and turn it into something else. 

Once she removes it, she cooks it on a frying pan. It dings by the time it's done and turns off the stove.

Zari grabs a plate from the drawers from the counter and places the omelet. She sets it on the fine dining table and pulls the matching chair back to take a seat.

Something's bugging Zari though. She's not sure if she has to be somewhere else at the moment, but she's not going anywhere. She's got a day off from work, so she's enjoying her breakfast without the carpool showing up, every now and then.

As she's about to begin her meal, the doorbell rings.

Hmm, who could that be? Maybe it's one of her friends.

When she opens the door, she finds her boss standing there. She quickly dusts off anything from her chef uniform and puts on a smile on her face.

Zari should know what she wants, because she doesn't normally get direct visits from her own boss.

She clears her throat. "Hi, Miss West. What brings you around here?"

Iris West tosses her dark curls behind her head and stares at her with those almost piercing dark eyes. Sometimes, it makes her co-workers nervous, because it means she's probably determined about something.

After two years of working in West Fine Dining, Zari's not that intimidated. Well, other than the few times she _accidentally_ got demoted, but she manages to find her way back to the original position that she's supposed to be in.

(Hey, it's not her fault that certain work events spiraled out of control.)

"So, Tomaz, you've been doing a wonderful job lately," Miss West starts, crossing her arms. "I want you to be in charge of making the Chef Salad and Lobster Thermidor for this year's Midnight Masquerade."

Zari takes a step back, almost hitting the back of her head. She tries to not gape, because she doesn't want to come off as too excited but also nervous.

"No way. You're kidding, right? You usually handle those on your own."

"I also want you to make an ice sculpture for the centerpiece."

_Great. I get to play with the chainsaw again._

"Well, Miss West, I'd be happy to cater for this year's Midnight Masquerade," Zari replies, fixing a gaze at her boss. “And work on the ice sculpture for you. Anything for the boss.”

"You earned this opportunity, Tomaz," Iris says with a smile. "Be sure not to disappoint me. Remember, don't drop the ball on this."

She leaves and Zari's a shaking mess. She's not even sure if she's gonna regret this.

The Midnight Masquerade was one of the most celebrated events in Mesa Flats, during the beginning of fall. It doesn't mean anything other than just throwing a huge party at a fancy community lot. Zari doesn't attend, always in favor of staying at home and playing video games.

However, this year seems. . . promising. With her in charge of the food, it sure would be a blast— or a mess.

Or _both_. (Absolutely both.)

"Hey, Z!"

She turns around and finds one of her friends running up to her. She raises a hand and waves.

"Sara," Zari murmurs, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "How's one of the amazing detectives in Mesa Flats doing? Why you seem exhausted? Are you on the trail of a case?"

"Plenty, apparently. There's a con-person from Arbor Falls that might have set up a shop in Mesa Flats and I'm also searching for a missing person."

"A missing person? Who could that be?"

Sara pants and looks directly at her face. "You. I've been looking for you for the past hour, and I'm glad you're not at work."

"Me? I don't remember having to be anywhere else, right now."

"Today's the party for your brother's job promotion remember? You're supposed to be there, like, fifteen minutes ago."

If she's been holding a frying pan at this moment, she would have dropped it and it would have crashed with a bang.

"My brother's promotion and that was today. Zari, rubs her hands together in anxiousness. "Ah, f**k! That's today! I'm screwed and in trouble. . ."

"Yes, you are. Now get ready and head down to the Mesa Flats Bowling Lane. I think Behrad's party is almost filled with a couple of other guests."

_I have to get dressed! NOW!_

Zari rushes to her room and shrugs out of her Sous Chef uniform to wear a denim jacket, casual t-shirt, long pants and red sneakers. She didn't have the time to check the colors but it doesn't matter.

It's a casual gathering and she's not going to worry about it. And she fumbles with her phone as she calls up a taxi and once it arrives, she gets into the vehicle and takes a seat. She informs the driver about the destination and the ride starts.

The doors push open as she pulls the knobs in a hurry, upon reaching the building. Flurries of confetti fill the air along with the cheers and laughter.

She's going to apologize to her brother, because she's late and the party's almost over. But there's still lots of food around in the table, she notices with some relief.

Behrad stands near one of the bowling lanes, talking to some people. He catches sight of her and begins heading towards her. He has a relaxed expression but he taps his foot a bit, after she waves at him.

Oh, well, here it goes.

"Hey, Behrad." Zari removes the confetti scattered on her head. "I'm really sorry that I wasn't been able to make it early.

"Alright. Z, I'm gonna cut you some slack." Behrad throws his hands up and sighs.

"Thanks." Zari's shoulders drops as she lets out a relieved sigh.

Behrad slightly grins, patting her on the shoulder. "Besides, you didn't miss much aside from me getting three perfect strikes at bowling. You should have seen the look on Nate's face when I got it right, at the first try."

"So, you're moving up to be a video editor? At first, I didn't think the slacker career would suit you, but you seem to be happy on the job."

Behrad chuckles, throwing his head back.

"Didn't think it would have worked out either, but here I am."

Before she could say something again, an elderly black woman turning her attention towards her with a fond smile.

"Hi, Zari." Sibeya Husna nods in some approval. "Glad to see that you're here."

Sibeya owns a restaurant in downtown, where she runs it with her sister. They serve different types of recipes that they learned from their homeland, and decided to open their business somewhere around the nineties.

Zari and her family had always gone there to eat, when she was younger. Sibeya was sorta her inspiration of why she wanted to work in the culinary career, even though there had been gaming or technology.

Still, that's fine. She likes her current job, and wouldn't change it for anything else.

"Oh, hi, Sibeya," Zari says, stretching a hand at her and shakes it.

"Well, I'll be chatting with a few of my other buddies," Behrad murmurs, stepping away. "Thanks for being able to be here, Z."

Zari nods and slightly smiles at her brother and at Sibeya.

"I had been surprised that you didn't cater to this event," Sibeya remarks in a low voice.

"Me too," Zari replies. "But between work and improving my skills for the next promotion, I hadn't got a chance to cook anything for the party."

"Hmm, I see. Have you checked Chex Prix, yet? I heard that the food has decent quality."

"Not yet, but maybe soon and. . ."

A phone rings and Sibeya grabs her purse and unzips it, tapping a button to answer the call.

"Sorry my dear, my fellow patron is calling me. You can and enjoy the rest of the party."

"Have a nice evening ahead." Zari turns around, slightly feeling confused.

But that's fine. Sibeya's a busy person, and she gets it.

She finds her friends around the food table. Maybe she should get a plate for herself and join them.

"Hey, Ray." Zari pats her friend in the back, and snatches an empty plate. "How's the DJ-ing going? Been making some good simoleons, lately?"

He beams with a bright smile. Good Ray Palmer, always sunny and ready to ramble through the whole night. But he's probably not going to.

"The part-time job has been paying really well to my surprise," Ray answers, before his smile falls. "I hate working late in the night, though. I wake up around at 8 pm, after a long nap in the evening and then I have to brush up at some skills, then around 10 pm, my carpool arrives. I always go home at 4 pm, exhausted and drained to do anything else. Can you believe that?"

"Are the parties wild, all the time?"

"No, I don't have to deal with it, thankfully. I wish I could get a more stable job, but knowing my resume, I have to be contented with this work as a party DJ for now."

"Must have been hard after getting fired, last spring. So, have you heard that there's a con-person loose around in Mesa Flats?"

"Yeah, Sara's told me all about it. I'm sure she and that other detective, Ava Sharpe, is going to search for her."

Zari picks up the salad and puts it in her plate, crinkling her nose.

It should probably take Sara to complete that case, in a week and a half or before the month ends. She has no clue of who the con-person is, never having heard of any around in Mesa Flats, until today. And she finds Sara eating gelatin, standing between a white woman with her warm brown hair streaked in gold, and the other brunette with blue highlights on the darker shade of brown.

However, an unfamiliar figure catches her eye and she almost loses focus on her food.

"Hey, guys," Zari says, looking over to the dark-haired white woman with fiery red streaks. "Who's that lady over there?"

"Oh, you mean the one with that killer smile?" Lisa chimes in, slowly stabbing a fork through the gelatin. "That's Tiffere Fetching. I think she works with Behrad. She's just moved into town, so kiss the potential dates good-bye."

Wait, what? What's that supposed to mean?

Sara scoffs and rolls her eyes, nudging her shoulders against hers.

"C'mon, Lise." Sara snorts, taking a bite of her turkey leg. "I'm still one of the many gals that are available."

Claude grimaces so hard that Zari can tell that's not a good sign. It never is, really.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!" Claude moves a dismissive hand in the air. "Nothing's wrong, everything's going great. Just worried about my dog."

"I thought you dealt with his behavior problems, already."

"Yeah, I know. But well, ah, good luck to you, I guess?"

"For what?"

The scarred white brunette cringes even more and yeah, she's not gonna pry for more.

"On trying to talk to the Fetching woman."

Zari raises a brow, slightly turning away from her.

"Okay, thanks."

That went pretty embarrassing and she's not gonna lie about it.

It's not wrong if she tries to introduce herself to her. If she's one of the new people in town, maybe she can help her familiarize being in Mesa Flats. She sets her food down on the table, then proceeds towards the newbie in town. She manages to get her attention with clearing her throat.

"Hello, Tiffere, my name is Zari," she says in a polite tone, "and I'm Behrad's sister. You must be the new person around here."

The white woman's face falls and lights up with a slight recognition.

"Oh, Behrad's 'late' sister, Zari," Tiffere replies, her plump-shaped lips pulling up in a smirk. "It's no wonder, you aren't married yet."

 _Excuse me? Did she just insult_ me?

"I hate to tell you this, but my focus on my career is a choice. It's not the reason, why I'm not married."

"Sorry, friend. That's just a little joke." Tiffere winks, moving past her with a sashay.

A cold feeling swept over her and her hands curls into a fist for a brief moment.

Who would invite her to a party? What a. . . Zari forces herself to calm down and smile. She's not going to be upset over some lame insult. She's heard worse.

A black woman with long dark hair covered in pink streaks dances near the stereo playing a slow ballad. She moves animatedly and gracefully, undeniably enjoying herself.

Okay, maybe this will take her mind out of just getting insulted. Whatever. Zari approaches her and the woman's dark eyes widens. It has some golden hue, but she's not sure underneath all of the colorful disco lights.

"Hey, would you like to dance together?"

Ugh. Zari wants to cringe at how forward that sounds. _Forward._

"Sure," the woman answers in a lilt voice with a hint of African accent.

She smiles too and wide, and it eases her a bit. Zari tries to coordinate with the rhythm of the music, moving her body while the woman bends over and props her arms up in a locked position.

"What's your name?" Zari asks in an effort to be conversational. "Mine's Zari. But you can call me, Z."

"I'm Taranee," the woman says with a bright smile. "Nice to me you, Z. You're the same Zari Tomaz from West's Fine Dining, are you?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me. How do you know?"

"I'm an old classmate of Iris'. The food that you serve up is delicious," Taranee answers, sounding impressed. "Really love the taste of your version of pilau rice."

Zari doesn't have anything to say to that, because it's making her speechless. She spins around and throws a hand up in the air, almost unaware that there's other people dancing too.

Well, Taranee's cute and maybe she would like to have her number. Besides, people have been bugging her about being too focused on her job than hanging out with other people.

"So, Taranee," Zari says, trying to avoid Lisa's annoying gaze. "I really enjoyed dancing with you, so is there another chance that we can do it again, tomorrow night?"

Her friends are watching her, even while they're eating their food. Ray and Claude looks away, Sara raises her brows, while Lisa's lips quirks into that tiny smug smirk that she's not here for.

Taranee shakes her head, frowning. "Sorry, I got plans with Tiffere. Maybe some other time?"

Zari stands frozen in the spot, blinking rapidly. What? _What?_

"Sure," she murmurs, dropping her hands in order to not throw it up.

Okay, now she gets what Lisa means by 'kiss the potential dates good-bye'. Damn, that Tiffere woman really made a name for herself in this town, that fast. But she's not going to dwell on it, because she's got other things to be pre-occupied by. Like the Midnight Masquerade.

Still the rejection stings, and it's worse that Tiffere already asked her out before she could.

It's been a blast, but she's gotta go home. Zari steps out of the dance floor, and whatever, she didn't care that she didn't eat the food. It's just plain Chef Salad, and she could make one that's ten times better.

"Zari, there you are," Behrad says, almost urgently. "Listen, one of my friends just called me to tell me that they won't be able to take care of my cat for me."

She frowns with dismay.

"Oh no. You won't be able to go, then?"

"Well, I have to attend to this business trip, Zari. I can't cancel it. I need you to look after Diva for me."

That's when Zari finally throws some hands. But not _literally_.

"Hold up, there's no way I can have an animal loose in my house, Behrad. I'm working on the food for the Midnight Masquerade, this year, and it needs all of my concentration."

Behrad's face crumples with a pleading look.

"Please? I can't take Diva with me, you know."

"Fine," she grumbles under her breath. "Just a couple of days?"

"Thanks, Zari," Behrad replies with a quick deep breath. "You're the best."

She smiles again and hopes it's not some revenge for being late to the party.

Ugh, now she's stuck with taking care of a cat. After earning some good cash, Behrad decided to adopt a cat. Zari hasn't met Diva yet, and she's not looking forward to . It's such a shame that his friend wouldn't be able to take care of her.

Time to go home, she thinks, as she starts calling up for a ride.

***

The taxi stops by the house and she goes to take the steps.

Well, a delivery truck also stands in the road, then a delivery person opens the back of it. They set a huge object in the stroller, putting it on the ground and goes towards her with a receipt.

"Delivery for Miss Tomaz?"

"Finally, my aquarium has finally arrived," Zari says, turning around. “Thanks.”

The delivery person nods and she gets the paper from them. The truck left, after she gets inside the house.

And now, where to place the aquarium at?

She sets it near the empty corner of the living room, almost close to the windows. When she finishes stocking the fish tank, she proceeds to feed the fish.

Well, it's probably going to keep her company when the cat arrives. After she changes into her normal clothes, she cleans the mess and the food (which she didn't have a chance to eat) off the dining table and washes it. It's best to go to bed and prepare for a big day tomorrow. Her co-workers might probably get jealous about her new gig, and she's anticipating that, at least.

Zari's been told that people have the dullest days around in Mesa Flats. . . except she's not sure if she's one of them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I've been having schoolwork and things. On the plus side, here's the first meeting between Z and Diva! And special shoutout to the Flarrowverse shipyard for giving me some food ideas!

Work turned out to be eventful when the Mesa Flats' Grand Cuisine got packed up with more customers than usual. It's a Tuesday, and that's just completely weird. But it's not understaffed, so everyone gets their paychecks when they get their shifts done. People are moving back and forth, cooking, serving, informing them about the orders. Thankfully everyone's focusing on getting the job done.

She calmly stirs the contents of the bowl. When she takes a little sip of the soup to check if it's ready.

Hmm, the taste is good and feels right. She turns off the stove, then goes ahead to prepare it for a particular order.

"Finished the Massaman Curry, Z?" Jax asks, popping his head through the door.

He walks right in as she adds a small mint leaf on top of the food.

"Yup," she answers, handing him the plate.

Jax sniffs the food and sighs. "Smells so good. You're so good at cooking all kinds of cuisines."

He reaches out to take a piece of meat but she swipes his hand away and slightly scowls.

"Watch it," Zari murmurs. "The last thing anyone here needs is a demotion."

"Don't worry about it. Believe me, I'm avoiding that."

Zari shakes her head, but pats him in the back. She covers the food with a silver tray.

"Whatever. Just don't drop it."

The waiter chuckles and carries the food as he goes out of the kitchen. She bumps her elbows against his, standing near the doorway. Her eyes scan through the crowded room, noticing that people occupied plenty of booths and tables.

Damn. People really fill up restaurants at the weekends.

Much to Zari's chagrin, she just had to catch a glimpse of Tiffere at the restaurant with some woman. She rolls her eyes and goes back to prepare the lime seared prawns.

Who cares, anyways? So what if that new person takes the town by storm? Zari can't let it bother her but there's something that feels. . . so fake about her. The way she tried to smile in a nice way kinda affirmed that.

There's nothing she can do about it. Thankfully, she's not a waiter and she can't imagine how bad it might have been, if she took Tiffere's order.

One of the other chefs stores a tray of Lobster into the oven.

It's one of the popular items ordered, because of how it's crispy and so perfect. Mesa Flats' Grand Cuisine serves a mix of different cuisines cooked by people with different ethnicities, including Zari herself.

When she was a kid, she had a weird obsession watching cooking shows and everything that had to do with food. After dining in, she aspired to be a cuisine chef. Her family didn't mind if she wasn't going to take a degree of being a computer engineer (she wanted to be one before, but it didn't have that right amount of appeal). They love it when she cooks dinner for them.

Although, Lobster Thermador's not her specialty. . . yet.

"That new chick over there's getting all the ladies," some of the other chef whispers with some glee.

The one chopping the vegetables stops their work and gives a hearty laugh, then hushes themselves.

"Pfft, that Fetching woman's certainly getting noticed around here. Pretty fast for somebody that's new."

"But the woman with her, though. I think she's from Pleasantview. The one that almost got hitched with that ol' lunatic with the spooky house."

"Nah, that can't be the one. Next thing, you'll see her with the town Casanova!"

Zari scoffs, shaking her head. It's always how people are in every place that she goes to. Everyone's thirsty for some tea, some juicy gossip and whatever.

The doors of the kitchen push open as their lovely boss enters, directly at Zari. Iris clasps her hands together, resting her gaze at everyone with anticipation.

"Everyone, I'm proud to announce that," Iris begins, almost holding her breath, "Zari Tomaz will be assigned to cook the food for this year's Midnight Masquerade!"

Some silver falls on the floor and a few jaws drop. Jax's eyes widen with shock. Zari grabs her hat and clutches it, resisting the urge to fidget with it.

Heh, she should have known that Iris would have made a big announcement to everyone. But not this soon. Maybe she just wanted to get the preparations for the Masquerade started.

"Let's give Tomaz, a round of applause," Iris requests, clapping first.

The staff follows her, giving some cheers along with the claps in sync. No one seems jealous about it, much to her surprise. Including Chef McAuley, one of the top cooks in town. She grins wide, if anything.

"That's awesome, Zari!" Jax cheers, raising a palm up.

She gives a high five, then blinks.

Zari rubs the back of her neck, smiling a little. And it doesn't feel forced.

"Thanks," she murmurs, pushing out any nervousness out of her voice.

Her vision skates over to the clock, and a triumphant feeling swoops in.

Finally! It's almost three o'clock and her shift's going to be over. She takes off her plastic gloves. Maybe somebody else can cook the lime seared prawns.

"I know you'll do an amazing job, Tomaz," Chef McAuley says in a confident way. "You're so good with the curry, all the pastas, and that ramen! The food for the Masquerade's bound to be delicious."

The praise was unexpected. She's out of words, and just wants to leave before anyone else gets to make a big fuss out of it. Iris waves at everyone, going out to the main dining hall with Jax following her from behind. Everyone gets back to their stations, resuming their focus on the food.

The clock sets off and half of the prep cooks in the room sigh with relief.

"Phew. Time for me to get back home." Zari wipes her forehead.

It's not until Monday, she gets to go back to work. There'll be an entire weekend for her to kick back and improve her skills for the next promotion.

After leaving the building, the carpool arrives and Zari occupies the seat in the back. The driver starts the engine again. The ride lasts for fifteen minutes, and she's back at the house.

Behrad left early in the trip, this morning, so she should be expecting a delivery with the cat. He did, however, texted her that a friend of his would be bringing Diva to her house in the afternoon or evening.

It's three p.m now, and she didn't mind waiting for the friend to drop by.

The carpool leaves once she unlocks the door of the house. She sighs and takes off the chef's apron and hangs it on a rack. She thinks it's time to catch up with the world- or at least, Mesa Flats. She should take in some news after scrolling through funny stuff.

She brings her phone out of her pocket, immediately activating it and clicks on a familiar local news site.

Just regular people getting promoted, some deals arranged by that billionaire from Bitville and his engagement. Hmm, good for him. Unless, the person in question is a gold-digger, he might have to kiss his life good-bye. Then something about a scandal in Willow Creek, blah blah blah. Nothing too important.

Zari stops changing the page as her eyes scan through the following headline.

_'Local Up-And-Coming Chef's Dishes take highlight of Annual Masquerade.'_

Huh. Iris gets the word out real quick. Nice, she thinks, reading through the article. Her boss is just thrilled about being able to be a part of the festivities, and try her hardest to dedicate herself to her assigned job.

Even though, it costed three thousand simoleons, Zari went ahead and ordered the equipment needed for the ice sculpture. She has enough mechanical skills to sculpt it. Well, that's what she thinks. Hmm, she should polish those skills soon, too.

_'Mesa Flats Police Department begins search for unidentified con-person from Arbor Falls.'_

She takes a look out the window to check if the cat's going to show up. Instead, she finds a black woman, with deep brown skin and dark medium length hair tied in braided pigtails, wearing an exercising attire. She seems to be kinda lost out there, looking around.

Maybe she should go to greet her, then ask her to what she wants.

Zari stands up from her chair, proceeding towards the front door. She pulls to a stop and the woman waves.

"Hi there," she says with a wide close-mouthed smile. "I'm looking for a Zari Tomaz. I'm here to bring her brother's cat."

Her throat kinda turns dry but she forces herself to clear it.

"Yeah," she says hoarsely. "That's me."

Behrad didn't mention that his friend was kinda cute. Not that she would use that word to describe her, but she's definitely pretty. It wouldn't be a bad thing if she tries to. . . charm her.

The woman stretches a hand out and Zari steps forward to take it. "I'm Amaya Jiwe."

"I'm Zari," she replies, trying to sound cool and not too forward. "So, you were going to watch Diva for Behrad?"

Amaya grimaces, her expression rueful.

"Oh, I'd love to. But my dog, Cymorial, isn't too bright and keeps on mistaking her for a pillow."

Wait, what? Doesn't the dog know that it's crushing the cat? Hmm, alright. That kinda explains why she couldn't take care of Diva.

Zari raises her brows, registering the info. Even though, she's sorta skeptical. For all she knew, maybe Amaya didn't like cats? _Maybe._

"That doesn't sound good at all. Say, how did you know my brother?"

"At the Mesa Flats Meet and Greet with my dog. Diva was being a ruckus, trying to chase him and Behrad apologized for the whole thing."

Oh no. From that story, Zari doesn't like the why how Diva sounds aggressive.

Well, it might be a good thing to keep Amaya company. And maybe. . . try to ease her a little bit.

If she's going to charm her, she doesn't want it to flop. Zari's not that good at it, but she's willing to try her best.

"Oh, that's fine. I like your outfit. Seems fitting for a well-earned jog or something."

Amaya leans slightly forward, chuckling. Did the compliment work? She seemed pretty. . . unaffected by that. Ouch.

"Thanks. I went out for a quick run, before getting here."

Amaya stares at her with those inquisitive dark brown eyes, scrutinizing her. Zari wants to flee, but she can't be rude to the guest. And she should keep the flirting down to a minimum, because she shouldn't get involved in. . . whatever that would lead to. Amaya's pretty, but she can't let her turn into a distraction. Because she's got two priorities and those were: the Midnight Masquerade and that cat.

"I bet you'd like a cup of coffee before going back?" Zari asks with some sort of hope.

Amaya nods and smiles again.

"I'd like that. Sounds good."

"You can go right into the kitchen and wait for me there."

Zari turns around, propping her hands on her hips. Alright. Now where's that cat? She inspects her surroundings, while a orange shorthair cat gets in her view.

Oh, so that must be the cat. She licks the top of her paws and looks at her with some patience.

If she's aggressive like Amaya made her out to be, she's going to be careful with her. Zari takes cautious steps towards the cat. She bends down and offers a small treat.

Diva sniffs the chicken scented cracker, then eagerly eats it. Zari wipes her hand on her pocket. She stands up goes up to the staircase with the cat following her into the house. She gets into the kitchen, prepares two cups of expressos for her and her guest.

"You're working as a chef?" Amaya asks with curiosity. "In which restaurant?"

Zari flops down on a chair beside her, putting her cup on the island counter. "West Grand Cuisine. For about three years, I think."

Amaya throws her head back, slowly drinking her coffee. She covers her mouth with a hand.

"Wait, you work in there? The food's really tasty, and I love the variety of choices in the menu and the pricing's much better than what most places offer."

Zari scoffs, taking a quick sip.

"Hah. Most restaurateurs don't even know what they're doing. I mean, I like , but no one in their right mind would pay twenty simoleons for lousy fried chicken."

Amaya laughs and Zari snickers, but the former stops with her eyes moving to elsewhere.

"Uh, Z," Amaya says, putting the cup down. "I think you should keep an eye on Diva. She's goi-"

Zari's turns to see the cat and her mouth drops, her pulse speeding up. The cat extends her claws to the cushions, ripping it apart as she yowls.

"Going to destroy my favorite couch!"

Why?! Zari jumps to her feet and rushes towards Diva, just when she stops. She raises her head and stares up at her with that stupid blinking hazel eyes, as if she didn't do anything wrong.

"Stop, Diva, stop!" Zari hisses, pointing a finger at it. "Bad kitty! Don't scratch my furniture!"

Amaya brushes her fingertips over the cat's fuzzy forehead.

"I'm sure Diva's trying to adapt to her new surroundings and get used to her new home."

New home? She's just living in the house for a few weeks, until Behrad returns from that business trip from Bitville.

(Who the hell arranges business trips in the slacker career, anyway?)

Yeah right. Familiarizing herself with the house, as if.

"Really? How would you know, huh?"

Amaya stands up, looks her right in the eyes with seriousness.

Maybe she shouldn't asked with a challenging voice, but this cat is already frustrating her. She's not pleased by what's going to happen next.

"Trust me. I used to work as a veterinarian in SimCity," Amaya explains earnestly. "But there wasn't much demand for it, so I moved here and started doing another part time job."

Oh. That makes so much sense.

"You must be real good with animals, then."

"With patience and experience, you'll be able to comprehend what most animals really do or think. I've been interested in it, since I was a child and in my childhood home, I always try to help out at the animal shelter."

Nice. Really nice.

"You're usually willing to be that patient with them?"

"Yes. Because it takes effort to for them to unlearn bad behaviors and I've tried studying a lot."

Zari crinkles her nose. "I don't think I could have the patience of a saint for it."

Amaya shakes her head, chuckling again. She pats Diva and strokes her back with her hand and those long fingers with trimmed nails.

The thing is she didn't want to hate the cat, but it's going to test her patience. Zari's not really good at being patient for too long, and she's not sure if she can try.

Probably it would take a while for Diva to be less hostile towards the furniture. Damn it, she should have gotten a cat condo or a scratching post, because Behrad didn't bother mentioning that this cat was an insatiable creature with a love for scratching it up.

"Anyways, here's Diva's food bowl," Amaya says, giving a golden small plate with gems on the sides. Ooh, fancy. "I better get back to my home. I've got a painting to finish soon. It was nice meeting you, Zari."

She adjusts her jacket, before extending her hand to her.

"You too, Amaya," Zari replies, shaking hands with her.

It's warm, friendly with grip almost strong without being hard. They step back and Zari keeps her hands at her sides.

"If you ever need advice, you can call me," Amaya tells her, . I only live two houses down from here."

Oh, really? Interesting. Amaya retrieves something from her pocket, showing it to her. Zari takes the small piece of paper with her digits, safely keeping it in her pocket.

"Will do," Zari says, raising a hand to wave. "See ya later."

Amaya waves back at her and Diva, her lips curving up into that genuine smile. She walks to the door and leaves.

Once the door shuts, she groans and flops down on the armchair. The cat stares at the Aquarium as her tail moves from side to side. From here, she could tell that Diva's planning to figure out a way to eat them.

This isn't what she had in mind, when she thought that she would get a roommate.

Ugh, this is why she didn't want a cat after looking out after the last one. Her ten year old self endured an entire project for school to take care of a spoiled Siamese. The thing did whatever she wanted, making her life a living hell.

No way, she's going to let Diva do the same.

Seriously. Behrad must have pampered Diva, to the point she does whatever she wants. Zari can't allow that behavior to take over the house and her life. She's got other priorities, but it sucks that this cat has to be one of them.

Just as Zari gets up, Diva hops into the sofa and sits there as if it's a throne.

"Shoo!" She tries to get her out of the couch her. "Get away from there! Don't sit on human furniture, or you'll spread your hair all over it!"

Diva hisses at her, lifting her head high.

Really? It's day one, and this cat's seriously trying to take over everything around her?

"Let's go for a walk outside, Diva," Zari grumbles, crossing her arms. When the cat doesn't respond, she sighs with exasperation. "Let's go outside, _Your Majesty._ "

The cat slightly smirks, as if thinking 'that's more like it, you peasant.' Zari leads Diva out of the house, taking her for a walk back in the house. It wouldn't take long, since it's night time, anyway. She's got to hold on tight for this long wild ride. Because she's not into the rude awakening that she's gonna get.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses for late updates and let's just say this will take awhile. Also, I sprinkled some references that some people might only get, lmaooo.

Today isn't going to be her day. PERIOD.

The bills arrived, this morning, and she paid the five hundred thousand price for living in the house. She recycles the newspaper and dusts her hands, before going back into the house. She saw that Diva has been sleeping in the sofa by the moment she woke up. She wanted to shoo the animal away but she didn't disturb her. The food bowl had still some meat left. That should satisfy her hunger, really.

She also received a mail for some order, but she didn't check what it was or when it will arrive.

It's a good thing that Zari brought her for a walk too. Clearly, the cat needs some serious discipline.

Zari enters the kitchen, only to find something awaiting her on the floor. She thrusts her hands into her hair and throws it up, letting out a fit.

"Really!?" Zari shouts, stomping a foot on the floor. "Why?! You just had to pee on the floor?! Ugh!"

She mops the puddles up and shudders with disgust. The damn cat goes to lick herself in a secluded space.

Great. How could she cook the food if the cat might keep on peeing in the damn kitchen. At this rate, it's going to delay her work for the Midnight Masquerade.

Zari runs towards Diva, bringing her away from scratching the sofa. Yet _again_.

She puts the cat down, scowling. "Come on! Don't harass my furniture. Go somewhere else!"

The cat slightly whimpers, turning away from her. No, she's not going to fall for that fake remorse. She's seen so many cats to not be deceived by that. Diva wanders elsewhere, away from the living room.

Obviously, she needs to go to the pet store to buy some pet supplies. And a litter box for this cat. After washing her hands with soap (for five times), she brings out her phone and calls for a taxi.

"Hey, can you pick me up and drop me off at the Mesa Flats Pet Store?" Zari requests, almost languidly.

"The cab will be picking you off in a few minutes!"

"Thanks." She keeps her phone in her pocket, before rubbing a hand over her face.

Maybe she should have gone to work instead, and hire somebody to watch over the house. It might be easier, so she wouldn't deal with the mess.

How nice.

Diva chews her lunch and steps back, after emptying the bowl. Her tail swishes for a second, then she turns to look at her. She flexes her claws and yawns like she didn't do anything.

With a heavy sigh, Zari thinks of the worst idea yet.

"Let's go out for a trip."

Diva's ears twitch, meowing in response.

The taxi arrives and she hears the horn. She goes out of the house, going towards the taxi's front door. She pulls the latch, opening it.

Except before she could even take a seat, the cat hops on the cushion. Diva positions herself as if she's sitting on a throne. Zari scowls, going to the other door. Sitting in the backseat, she crosses her arms. She furrows her brows as the engines starts revving again.

That's fine. Zari's going to get over that. _Eventually._

With a name like that, she should have expected that cat would have an air of arrogance around her. In twelve minutes, the taxi reaches to the pet store. She pays the driver, leaves the seat, and opens the door for Diva. She jumps out onto the pavement. Diva trots onto the pet store with her tail high, moving back and forth. Over the display section, two dogs barks and few cats meows at her presence. There's also cages where different birds and hamsters live in. A cocktail tries gaining her attention by cawing. As she passes by the hamster cage, Zari shudders.

Long time ago, she asked her parents to buy her one, but they caught some sickness on the way. When her mother hung a huge hamster painting on the wall, the illness ceased. Still, she gave it away to a classmate and never had any weird sickness ever again. The classmate didn't get sick, because they ALSO had that painting in their house.

It's a weird thing, but it's not so common in recent years.

Snapping her attention on her current want, she lays her eyes on the litter box.

It's either that or the floor. And damn, she cannot take that risk.

Zari points a finger at it, glancing at the counter. "So, how much is this?"

"That will be fifty simoleons," the cashier replies, lifting the price tag. "Do you want to make a purchase, Ma'am?"

"Don't mind if I do."

The cashier puts the rectangular box on a plastic bag, handing it to Zari. She pays for the item the money necessary, getting a grip on the handle.

Diva watches the parrot eating the food, staying confined in its cage. She licks her mouth, and Zari rolls her eyes. Better get out of here while she still can, before the cat could snatch the poor bird.

The doors bursts open with the entrance of. . . Tiffere. Again. In a damn pet store.

Really? She had to show up?

Zari lifts her head high, facing the cashier as she tries her hardest to ignore the situation going on. Diva climbs up the wooden cat condo, her claws digging deep into the surface. She reaches to the top and sits there, looking down at the customers. She grimaces. Doesn't that doing that hurt? Her nails must be made of something sharper, she thinks, not liking the idea of it.

No wonder, her sofa looks slightly raggedy already.

Suddenly, a girl stumbles into the store and swoons.

 _You've got to be kidding me_. Zari raises her brows, making a face at the scene.

"Ma chante, mademoiselle," Tiffere says in a lilt French accent.

Tiffere stands there and whispering some words to the other girl's ear, and makes her fan herself. As if she's charming her with her fake words and fake everything. A love-struck expression paints the girl's face and. . .

That was fast. She fell in love.

What is Tiffere doing here? And why that girl followed her? This is so confusing. Zari shakes her head, ready to get out of the store.

Diva jumps high and pounces at Tiffere. She races towards her as if she's chasing her. Tiffere shrieks, taking a large clumsy step back. The girl laughs at her, pointing at her. Zari joins, pressing her hands over her ribs. It's bad, but she can't help it. The woman's been trying so hard to be composed and it's nice to see it slip off for a second. Might make others think twice before checking her out.

In vain, Tiffere wipes her designer shirt and skirt. She throws a dirty look at the cat.

"Unbelievable," Tiffere mutters, her voice full of disdain. "Who owns _this_ mangy fur-bag?"

"Her name is Diva," Zari answers, stifling another laugh, "and I think she's funny."

Tiffere lifts her chin, going towards to the pet collars on display. She examines them, then casts a vicious stare at her.

Meh. It doesn't scare Zari, in any way. If she's trying to bully her, she should get lost. If she doesn't want to sabotage her own reputation. _Oops._

"Listen, chef, just keep that thing away from me. You're so vile to let a creature like that loose! She almost ruined my dress!"

Zari crushes the urge to poke her by nodding.

"No problem, I'd be happy to take Diva out of your hands!"

"Good! While you're at it, Tomaz," Tiffere warns, almost malicious. "Stay away from Taranee. During the party, I saw you gawking at her. . . She's _mine_."

Zari scoffs, dismissing her with a hand. Who does she think she is?

"Don't worry." Zari curves her lips in a saccharine smile. "I'm not interested, anyway."

Diva moves back, hissing at Tiffere. The woman makes a snooty sound of triumph, walking out of the store.

Hey, maybe she could give Diva a treat, for telling that woman to back off. It would be considerate to show her that she liked that fierceness. It’s like she notices something off about her, too.

That’s one thing that they have in common, at least.

All she had been trying to do was buy a litter box, and even then Tiffere turned up. At least, Diva seemed to share her pettiness and got in a little act of mischief. Maybe pets could be a great way to chill the f**k out. Maybe not the pampered ones, at least.

Zari gets some treats from an open packet, then offers them to Diva. She licks them up from her palm, crunching on the meat-flavored snacks.

The girl, heart farting over Tiffere earlier, croons at the dogs in display. She razzles with them, and the dogs are eager for playing.

Time to go home. Because she got litter box already, and needs to sort out this entire situation.

Zari should be rebalancing her energy in no time.

***

"There," she says, putting the litter box down in the other bathroom floor. "Good enough for me. What do you think, kitty?"

She spreads the litter across the box evenly. Diva, just when she's not even done, climbs into the box and. . .

"Ew!" Zari gets back, then takes off the gloves. "You just had to!"

Oh man. Zari makes a disgusted noise, leaving the bathroom. She washes her hands in the other sink.

Zari presses her forehead against the bathroom door.

Damn it. She reaches for the phone on the wall, wanting to bring someone over. She dials Sara. She'd invite Ray too, but she's aware of his allergies towards cats. And he's got work in the late night.

So, her friend answers the call and tells her that she would be right over quickly.

The doorbell rings and she goes on to greet her friend.

"Hey, Z." Sara waves at her with a smile.

"You're here," Zari replies, waving back at her. "You won't believe how crazy it's been, even though it's only been _two_ days!"

Diva meows and stretches up towards Sara, who gasps. She picks her up and tosses her in the air.

"Aww, nice to finally meet you," Sara murmurs, almost in a sweet voice. "Aren't you the cutest thing ever?"

"She would be, if she wasn't so destructive," Zari hisses, going to the almost worn out couch.

Sara snorts. "Just give the cat a chance, Z."

With her face twisting with a scowl, she shakes her head.

“Not sure if I can, really. She’s been wild and it’s insane. It’s only week _one_! Week one, Sara!”

Her friend glances back at her, grimacing and puts the cat down on the floor.

“The cat can’t be that bad, though. Things might turn up, somehow.”

Well, she could hope for that. Please, let it happen for the sake of the furniture.

Zari clears her throat, then turns on the television.

"How are things going in the M.F.P.D?"

"Just how I like them. . . tame as always," Sara answers, sitting on the armchair. "And how's it going? The new cat's adorable."

Zari smiles wryly at the cat scratching up against the scratch post, as if she's not planning on ruining anything else in her house.

 _". . .In other news, we've discovered that a con-person had been scheming around in Central City, last week,"_ the news reporter announces, adjusting the papers on the screen. _"Sources say that they might have moved to Mesa Flats area."_

Uh, that sounds bad. Well, she could trust Sara to find the con-person, somehow. Or anyone else capable of finding them.

"I wish things are quiet for me. Between this cat wrecking my house and maybe my life," Zari starts, pressing the remote buttons to change into another channel. "And Tiffere close to destroying my chances of dating, I'm coming short all around."

Sara winces, reverting her eyes in the television screen.

"Ouch. Did she manage to go steady with someone, who you like?" Sara asks, disturbed.

Zari purses her lips. "Nah. She just told me to not be near Taranee. She had been weirdly alpha when I ran into her at the pet store."

"That could have gone worse, ya know," Sara points out, leaning forward. "It's only a matter of time, if she could be known as the town's femme fatale. Not that I'm going to succumb to her charms."

Zari lightly smacks her in the upper arm.

"I'd rather, if you didn't. Tiffere rubs me off the wrong way. . . I don’t really understand why, but it feels fake to me. I can't really explain it, though."

Sara tosses her head back, slightly smirking.

"Don't worry. She kinda creeps me out too. She must be some smooth operator, if you're out of the dating game. I tried to ask someone out, but Tiffere had the balls to ruin it for me."

"Weird to be out of the spotlight, huh?"

"Yup." Sara stands up, stretching her arms. "Listen, I have to go home and sleep early for work. Or else Sharpe won't let me hear the end of it."

Reluctantly, Zari stands up and walks towards her. "That's okay. Good night, Sara."

Her phone rings with a notification, then she checks it. She finds two messages sent to her- one from her boss and one's from her brother.

She reads through Iris' text.

_Tomaz, please send me the details of how the dishes are coming along for the Masquerade Ball._

Typing back, she raises a brow.

_I'm going to plan on working on it soon, boss. Don't worry._

And then another text, and it's from her brother.

_Hey, Z. Don't forget a couple of things, just pick up a litter box for Diva. I found a cat condo that I KNOW she will love. And it's on the way to you. It might save some of your furniture too._

Behrad added some smiling emojis after that, and that's it.

_"Thank you for the reminder. Your cat's such a lovely guest so far, when she decided to claim some of my chairs as her own!"_

_"Your sarcasm shows even in this message."_

_"Hah. How's the trip so far?"_

_"It's been okay. I've yet to see Central Park Pavilion. You want me to send some pics for you?"_

_"YES, please. Miss you, Behrad."_

He didn't respond for a few minutes before:

_"Miss you too, Z. Take care, and tell Diva that I miss her too."_

_"I will, just look out for yourself too."_

She smiles a bit at the conversation and sets the phone down on the nightstand. She switches into her pajamas, getting ready for bed.

Iris wants her attention on the cooking and Behrad also wants it for his cat. Hmm. . . maybe she’ll figure something out in the morning. She should be able to juggle with these responsibilities, before it all goes to a flop and makes her feel like a complete clown. Basically.

A truck parks outside, then she goes out to check. That must be the delivery person. They drop off something on by the moment she makes it. She raises her head, and shuts her mouth from gaping. The delivery services are strange in the town, always dropping things off in the middle of eleven o'clock. Just when people should be sleeping and stuff.

Yeah. That's her life.

It's tall and filled with dark blue tones, almost too fancy for a gigantic cat scratching post. Zari pushes the item into the living room, until she finds an empty spot for it. The cat condo stands against the wall beside the dining room door.

If it all goes to fail, she could call Amaya to help her out. She's good with this cat care crap, so it would lessen. Besides, she'd also love to have another excuse to see her again.

Then again, she's probably busy at this moment.

She should replenish her energy, but it's wearing her off. Maybe she could sleep later, and have some 'me time'.

So, she turns on the console and pops in a city building game (which has been a classic for years, in her opinion) and tries to distract herself with the visuals and gameplay.

Just because this entire situation sucks, it doesn't mean that Zari should stop trying to find some way to have fun. If Diva's going to have some fun, she should too.

During the gameplay rotation, she sees Diva climbing on the condo, in the corner of her eye. She sits on the top, looking down at Zari and the T.V showing the video game.

Now Diva should be a happy kitty. So much for her pad, though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RL had been kicking my ar*e and hence, the late update. The story's already done, but I need to do some tweaks and I might update, two times every week? IDK, but it's a plan.

"How's the stuffed golden trout coming along, Tomaz?" Chef McAuley asked, leaning over to the food.

"It's still being fried," Zari answers flatly. "Just wait until it's done."

McAuley pouts.

Zari pulls a face, then shakes her head.

"For the last time, I'm not going to get dragged into your weird bs."

"Please, I may get into battles with the lobsters but you're not the only one who has to deal with. . ."

McAuley trailed off when the door slammed open.

"Attention, everyone! May I have your attention!" Someone shouts, and she jumps in alarm.

One of the burly chefs casts a glare at the waitress wandering into the kitchen.

"What's going on? What's the big deal?"

Zari removes the fish from the pan, placing it on a plate. While she concentrates on preparing the food, she couldn't help but lean in to listen a little more closely.

"One of the town's society dames decided to called Iris!" Kendra explains, "She wants the restaurant to cater for her daughter's wedding!"

"Who? What?" Somebody asks, sounding nervous.

"Petrina Ruston! The woman who owns the local pet park!"

The staff gasps, stepping back in shock. Chef McAuley rubs their forehead. Mick doesn't stir, just chopping his onions like he's got nowhere else to go. The rest of them ignore their respective station, with panic as if a fire broke out.

McAuley's shoulders drops. "So, what do we do?"

"We have to cater for their requests," Kendra explains in a rushed way. "Stein's going through the list that she sent. I think that wedding's going to be some extravaganza."

And they have to handle a bride's mother, who's going all bridezilla for this? Yeah, nothing too strange.

The doors slam open when an elderly white blonde enters. She removes her glasses, wiping them with a plain cloth.

"I suggest that everyone will be working on different tasks for today," Stein says, clearing her throat. "Mr. Montez, you work on preparing the Turkey."

"On it," Montez replies, striking the knife into the meat of the beef.

"This is gonna be a long day, huh?" Chef Hunick mumbles in dismay.

Zari slowly nods, watching the fellow chef twitch their mouth.

For the next several minutes, Stein starts throwing orders at almost each chef available and free. She manages to let three chefs with no duties to do, including Zari. She observes the work being laid out for everyone, taking a seat in the barstool near the island counter.

Well it must suck for Stein, though. The woman's trying to catch for her breath with every single decision that she has to make. She used to be around the kitchen a lot, before she was promoted to a sous chef.

Almost one step closer to being a celebrity chef, Zari guesses.

Someone uses the wall phone to call for ordering groceries, some of the cooks started cooking something else after finishing their earlier orders.

It's clear that this wedding is taking a toll on everyone, including the most confident chefs and cooks in the restaurant.

Zari decides to use the bathroom, in order to fulfill one of her needs.

Hmm, this is something huge for Iris, no doubt. Something huge enough to keep her mind off the Midnight Masquerade for a few hours, she bets.

By the time she gets back, she sees the cooks and chefs frantically working. Clarrisa keeps an eye on everyone, leaning against the wall. The sous chef slaps a palm across her forehead. Then her stare lands at Zari, and. . . crap.

"Miss Tomaz, decide what soup we'll have."

Zari looks at her with aghast. "Why are you asking me?"

"Well, you're one of the most established cooks in here, aren't you?"

She raises her brows.

"You've got to be kidding me. I don't know, maybe I am? Okay, what is it that you want me to do?"

Her eyes roam over to the food being cooked at the moment, before she gives a hopeful expression.

"Surprise us!"

"With what?!" Zari tries calling for him, but he didn't respond. She sighs.

The sous chef leaves her by herself, returning her attention to elsewhere. She starts talking to Mick, something related to meat and the man seems exasperated.

Okay, then. Should she go with traditional Italian soup or Louisiana Gumbo? It's been a few weeks, since she cooked some gumbo. The demands from the dame range from pure ridiculousness to the impossible. Not to mention, she wanted five hundred mini sculptures of swans made of. . .

"Damn it, where's the coconut paste!?"

She starts heating the iron-skillet. She cooks the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it changes to a deep golden color. She transfers it to a plate, letting it cool down for a few minutes.

After that, she puts the flour into a pie plate and toasts it in the oven. When it's doing that, she heats oil into a stockpot over medium heat and adds vegetables, letting it sauté until the onions are lightly browned. And she pours the ingredients needed for the dish, rice, vegetables, and meat. She stirs in the broth, bringing it to a simmer rate. She added more ingredients as the time passes.

When the sample of the food is done, she puts it into a big bowl and serves it with some hot sauce. Stein swallows hard, taking the food.

"Hope that we didn't make a big mistake," she murmurs, almost to herself. "Here we go."

She goes out, bringing the food with her. Well, the last time someone tries suggesting unusual food, they got fired. . .

Well, it's because they weren't aware that the meat they used, was contaminated and it resulted into an utter mess.

People stand around with anxiousness, and few peeked through the kitchen door. McAuley particularly clasping their hands with an worried expression. They stare at the door, unable to look at anything else.

Iris enters the kitchen with some an air of somberness around her. (That keeps happening lately, and she can't understand why.)

And just like she expected, Iris searches for her and stares up at her.

"Tomaz, so I've heard that you're the one who chose the Louisiana Gumbo. Is it true?"

Uh oh. Is Iris going to. . . fire her? Like for real, and permanently. Yikes.

The rate of Zari's heart beat spikes prompting her to gulp.

If she horrendously screwed up, she might not be able to handle it.

"Let me guess?" Zari asks, hoping to deflect the situation. "The food sucked, didn't it?"

The silence stretches between them, and sweat starts rolling down her forehead. Iris crosses her arms, scrutinizing her. Her posture loosens and she throws her arms in the air.

"I'm glad to inform you the dame actually loves it!" Iris tells her eagerly. "I might assign someone else to make another one in time for the wedding, next week. Mrs. Ruston has been floored over the flavor, and informed me that she wants it to be cooked."

Zari's jaw drops, then the room gathers for an applause.

"Phew. I'm glad that didn't make her sick or something."

Iris chuckles, shaking her head. She beams at her, those dark eyes wide with pride.

"For your daring decision, I'm going to promote you to a Sous Chef! Congratulations!"

The claps in the room grew louder while she hears some kaching in the back of her head. Sous chef like Stein, herself.

Everyone gives their responses for her promotion, seemingly with some envy on their part. But she didn't care, because she has more money to earn now. Ugh, finally!

She receives her daily salary along with a bonus. Zari gets into the carpool, and it takes her to the house. In a few moments, she's already back at the house.

It's nice to be back home with the bonus paycheck and a promotion.

She opens the door, hoping to not see a mess. She slightly squeezes her eyes shut, then opens them to find. . . nothing. No trace of wreckage or trouble. Just a sleeping cat on the. . . unscathed chair.

Oh, good.

Has Diva been sleeping all day? Because when she had gone to work, the cat was sleeping around that time.

Picking up the food bowl, she refills it with a fresh can of cat food and puts it on the floor again.

It seems to Zari that Tiffere seems to be the top dating choice in Mesa Flats, as of now. So. . . where does that leave her?

"Alright." Zari throws her hands up. "I can't uselessly mope around. Maybe a workout with good ol' Veronica Landgraab can cheer me up for a bit."

Working out with the T.V should be able to cheer her up.

Spinning in her athletic wear, she turns on the T.V to play the fitness channel. She performs some push-ups on the floor, trying to imitate the movements of the fitness junkies on the screen. She lays on her side, stretching her legs.

Yeah. This isn't cutting it.

After giving up on the workout and turning off the T.V, she gets up. She decides to look up on the internet and sees an ad of a bench press. Ahh, it looks almost techy and futuristic. She clicks it, going to the link of the website.

She snickers at the absurd description and shakes her head. Hey, it costs about two thousand five hundred simoleons! What the hell?

With her bonus paycheck, she should be able to afford it. Right? But the insane price tag. . .

Zari orders the bench press, putting out payment and her address. It has rushed delivery, so maybe it should arrive later, today.

Pushing the chair back, she turns the computer off. She stands up, stretching her arms while she yawns.

Hey. Maybe she should see if Lisa Snart is free. After all, she knows where to have fun in the best spots in town. It'll keep her mind off of things, right?

She knows that she should be cooking, but having some fun before working on that later. She picks up the phone to dial up Lisa.

"Hi, Zari," Lisa murmurs, almost purring in the other line. "Anything I can help you with?"

"I'm free right now, so I was wondering if we could ha-"

Lisa cheers. "Hang out, you say? Hmm, I have an idea- meet me in Club Z and bring your dancing shoes!"

Wait, huh?

"But I don't like. . ."

Lisa, like the sly woman she was, hangs up on the phone, leaving Zari to face-palm.

Fine. This isn't what she expected but maybe she thinks that Zari doesn't go out to have fun often. Technically, that's. . . true. She's never gone out to those hotspots in town like other people do.

A change in scenery might do her some good.

After she calls up the taxi, she sits down on the armchair. She should chill out before leaving.

"Do not wreck the house," Zari warns, pointing at the cat, "when I'm away. Be a good kitty, and stay in your damn lane. There's food for you, and don't bother to scratch the furniture."

The cat only blinks, then licks her wrist.

Pfft. Zari walks past her, and goes to her room to change her outfit. To a casual outfit.

Club Z has the coolest dance floor in town, and whenever she does go there, she does have fun. Even if she's not a big fan of dancing. Maybe she could silently judge the people dancing, because it's funny to watch them like they're high. (Most people dance like they're drunk, and it's usually hilarious. But some could be great.)

When she hears the honk, she sets out to the taxi. She looks back at her house, before taking a seat.

***

The speaker blasts the music through the building, almost making it outside. Zari walks down the sidewalk, finding her companion standing near the street lamp. She raises her head with a grin brightening her expression.

"Oh, thank the Sim Gods, you've made it!" Lisa exclaims, going towards her. "I thought you might have stood me up or something!"

Zari waves at her, rubbing the back of her neck with a free hand. Lisa greets her with air kisses on her cheeks, and she does the same.

Lisa's wearing a gold halter top, long dark jeans and heels that match the shirt. Her face is covered up in some glittery make-up that makes her sparkle.

"You look really good in gold," Zari says, trying to make an effort to converse.

Or else, she might feel weird staying silent for the whole trip.

"Why, thank you!" Lisa flips her hair back as if on slow-mo.

They walk into the club together when the door swings open.

"I'm going to take a seat near the dance floor."

Lisa furrows her brows. "You won't dance? C'mon, Z! It's gonna be fun!"

"Nah, I don't wanna look like an idiot," Zari mutters, declining the offer. "You go ahead, I'll just watch."

Lisa shrugs, taking her attention to the music. Zari takes a deeper seat in the couch, ready to be entertained by some dancing and good music played by the DJ.

After Lisa joins the others in the dance floor, they leave some space for her, almost letting her get in the limelight.

The D.J starts playing a fast song that gets everyone to break it down, like they're on some talent show or competition.

Some people are swaying their body from side to side, flailing their arms in the air. One woman is breaking it down, moving her body like crazy and tossing her head from side to side. Lisa dances, stretching and lowering her limbs and claps, jumping a little. She lowers herself for a brief sit, and gets back up, dancing to the groove of the music.

Lisa's a better dancer than she could ever be, and that's actually okay.

Someone she recognizes swims into her vision, then she rubs her eyes in disbelief. Her body moves in rhythm with the fast song being played and she expresses herself with her vibrant enjoyment. She stops when their eyes meet.

"Oh my goodness, Zari?" Amaya asks, her dark eyes widening. "Is that you?"

"Amaya, how great to see you here," Zari replies with her head slightly bowed. "Some great dance moves you got there!"

"Thank you," Amaya says.

Patting the empty spot, Zari looks up at her.

"Wanna take a seat with me?"

Amaya nods, immediately occupying the seat. She leaves few inches between them and Zari has to crush the urge to fan herself. She relaxes, pressing her back against the cushion in a graceful movement.

Damn, she's dressed in a dress that displays her toned and slim figure. A top and tight jeans, and high heels. Her long and wavy hair swishes on her shoulders,

Ugh, does she have to look this good?

"Zari, so you're a chef in West Fine Dining, right? Do you ever plan on opening your own restaurant in Sim City?"

Wait, what? Did Behrad mentioned her when they hung-out together?

"Well, Iris gave me the start, and I wouldn't dare to ever compete with her. I don't think I will, and it's too much money, anyway."

"Z," Amaya says, almost staunchly. "There's always money available, and you gotta think big. It's still fine, if you don't either. I'm just in awe of how well-cooked your food is."

Zari chuckles. "Yeah, I'm really that talented. But I seriously there's no way that I would compete with Iris- she gave me my first start."

Amaya raises her brows when she lays her eyes completely at her. The colorful disco lights illuminates her features, and Zari's breath gets caught in her throat.

"Ah. You have strong loyalty to your boss, I see."

"I guess, I do."

Zari turns her stare away to the dance floor. Someone almost trips and she snickers, shaking her head. That's the entertainment she signed up for.

"How's Diva doing?"

Startled by the question, Zari snaps her attention back at her.

"Living in the house like a damn queen," Zari answers, almost scowling. "I've been having trouble on getting her under control. But somehow, she didn't apparently do much after I went for work."

"That doesn't sound too good." Amaya grimaces. "You bought some scratching posts for her?"

"I bought a cat condo, if that counts."

Amaya knits her brows together, rubbing her chin. "Set up a reward system for her."

Like reward Diva with treats for doing good stuff and scold her for doing the bad? She scoffs.

"Pfft. I don't think she's dumb enough to fall for it."

"Zari, trust me," Amaya says, her voice firm but also somehow reassuring. "If you make it a habit, eventually Diva will learn to change."

A hand rests at her shoulder. The warmth lingers through the pro-longed contact until Amaya withdraws her hand sharply. Zari sighs.

"Okay, I'll try." Zari presses a hand on her knee. "You might be feeling thirsty from all those dance moves earlier. Would you like to get some juice with me?"

"Absolutely," Amaya answers, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Let's go upstairs to get some."

Zari and Amaya take the staircase to proceed to the bar. When they made it, she asks the bartender for two blended drinks and pays for them. It's cheap and she has enough money to pay for it.

Doing a favor for a friend isn't too bad.

The bartender serves their drinks, placing it on the table. Zari picks up her glass, slowly taking it.

"Hmm, that tastes good," Amaya comments, sipping on the drink.

"Yeah" Zari swallows it, letting the fruity taste slide down her throat.

"So, Zari," Amaya starts, still sipping in her drink. "Have you thought about who you'll ask to the Midnight Masquerade yet?"

Just as Zari tries to get a chance to answer, someone just has to show up. . .

"Miss Jiwe," Tiffere in an sultry tone. "How nice seeing you here at Club Z."

Zari's jaw drops. Hell no. Not Amaya too.

"Tiffere," Amaya says, sounding astonished. "What a coincidence! How are you?"

"I've been thinking of the proposal that you've suggested that other night," Tiffere says, moving past Zari and basically stands in her way. "I'm sure there's plenty for the two of us to discuss?"

Zari almost spits out the juice.

What proposal? Business proposal? Marriage proposal? What is she talking about?

And Amaya —of all people— suggested that? What the hell? Since when they knew each other? Hmm. . .

"Oh, right!" Amaya replies, tapping the side of her head. "I suppose we should. See you later, Z."

Huh? What? She's just been here for fifteen minutes, and this happens?

Tiffere offers an arm to her like one of those perfect well-bred ladies.

 _Don't leave!_ A shot of panic fills Zari's veins as she hopelessly watches another opportunity slip away from her. Amaya puts the glass down, and accepts it. They walk side by side, disappearing down the stairs.

Tiffere keeps her head high the whole time as if dismissing Zari or something. Like it's her way of flipping her off.

"Bye," Zari says, feeling numb. Her voice even sounds hoarse.

Whatever, screw this. Maybe she'll be better when she returns home.

Really. Tiffere knew Amaya, the whole time. Who knew that she would be charming her too? What's next? She'll warn Zari to back away from Amaya too? Honestly, she wouldn't be too surprised if that happens.

That's a shame. . . Zari feels it's like Amaya wanted her to ask her out to the Masquerade. But no one could compete with Tiffere, sadly. Ugh, screw that.

What a lousy outing. Guess it's time to return home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: for vomiting from. . . almost everyone in the restaurant. Also thanks to the Flarrowverse Shipyard for providing me an idea for a scene. <3

"Ugh, you spoiled brat!" Zari yelled, stomping on the floor. "What's up with you and your obsession to destroy my damn furniture?!"

Diva climbs down from her condo and jumps to the floor.

Tapping her foot, she rests her glare on the misfortunes of the living room. In front of her, there's the armchair that's close to being in tatters. When will the cat learn how to leave the furniture alone? She even broke an end-table, which has broken parts scattered on the floor. Ugh.

Zari levels a finger at Diva. "You should be ashamed of yourself, kitty. Now at look what you've done."

With a disinterested look, Diva only glances at her destruction. She trots away like those actors walking away from the fake explosions, proceeding to eat her food. Zari frowns and narrows her eyes. She throws a clenched hand in the air, close to throwing a fit. Damn it, the cat had the audacity to walk away from her own mess? Even scolding her didn't change her attitude.

In an exaggerated fashion, Zari throws herself into the couch. Her bedroom and the kitchen might have been spared, but it didn't mean that it would be safe for long. And the price to cover the expenses for the replacements. . . no, just, no.

How long could she take this torture before getting a meltdown? If Diva is good around Behrad and leaves his stuff alone, then why does she behave spitefully around Zari? If she's feeling homesick, it doesn't make any sense. At all.

A fuzzy thing curls on her back as paws stretch and flattens on her spine.

Disgruntled, she slightly shifts.

"Get off of me," Zari grumbles, trying to turn around.

Instead of listening to her like the cat she was, Diva relaxes into the loafing position. And Zari's stuck there like a worm.

"Hey! I have to go to work soon!" Zari writhes, slowly moving on her back.

The cat whines, before hopping to the floor.

Zari hires a maid over the phone, so that Diva's mess could be cleaned up. Obviously, she can't do this by herself. Her times going to be filled with a busy schedule. The environment around her sucks, and the mess is just pissing her off.

The carpool arrives and she goes to it. An hour later, the maid would show up and fix the mess.

Well, that's what happens when a spoiled cat lives in the house, she thinks grumpily.

She goes to work for her first day as a Sous Chef. It's weird the more promotions she gets, the less she gets to touch the food. She spends the entire work hours, telling people what to do and cook.

Unexpected envy twinges her as she watches each chef's move while they perform their task.

Zari furrows her brows. Should she work on her skills to get another promotion? Or should she learn to appreciate her current job? Yeah, there were opportunities of more paycheck and less work days, but is it going to be worth it?

By the time her shift is over, she goes back to the house, which appears clean and spotless from the hard work the maid did.

The cat could have done worse, she thinks, taking an inspection at the rooms.

When she checks the outer deck and pool area, she pauses at the new exercise machine. It arrived last night after she left the Club and didn't have any choice but to put it outside, because there's no room for it in the house.

Looks like she could use the time to prepare the salad and the lobster, or else she might procrastinate again. Which is, totally, not a good idea. However. Before she could do that, she should give Diva some attention.

Wouldn't want the cat to think she's abandoning her or something. Or face her demanding attitude if she ignored her for too long.

Zari finds Diva getting out of her bed in the bedroom, so she waves at her.

She strokes the top of her head, slowly massaging the scalp. Diva relaxes and purrs, rubbing her fur against her skin.

After Zari takes a step back, the cat goes to play with the dangling mouse stick on the wall.

Diva seems pretty smart for a cat, if a bit arrogant. Hmm. . . could Zari teach her anything? Like a trick or move that she could tell her to do? Cats can learn things like dogs, can't they?

She saw how it worked on a dog, so. . . it might work on a cat.

Zari moves her hands to the side as a gesture for rolling over.

She should understand it, right?

Diva turns round on her back, then flips to normal sitting position. She repeats the technique a few times before seemingly mastering it.

"Okay, kitty, roll over," Zari commands, bending down.

The cat sat down and goes over to the side, while remaining in the same spot for the entire trick.

Zari rewards the cat with a quick treat, because -finally- the cat actually listened to her for once. That's faster than she expected and Diva's a keen learner. Maybe training a cat to do things doesn't sound so hard.

Maybe she should take Diva outside for a walk. For all her time staying here, Diva never seemed to go outdoors. Maybe because she's been pampered for a domesticated cat that's used to the indoors.

"Let's go out for a walk," Zari tells the cat. "You need to be in the sun."

Once she gains the cat's attention, she leads Diva outside. When they get to the pavement, where they started their journey.

The two of them take a walk around the neighborhood, stopping by the houses across the street. The breeze flaps the leaves of the palm trees as the wind flies past her face. It's a reminder that fall will be here soon, and it's when the rain decreases and leaves fall from the withering trees.

Without warning, Diva sprints towards one of the shrubs in front of the sleek condo.

Dread creeps upon her spine as she tensed.

"Diva," Zari calls, peeking over the shrubs. "Hey, where are you?"

No response. She turns her head from side to side, searching for the damn cat. It's not funny, and Behrad would never forgive her if she lost his cat.

So, she should start finding her before anything bad could happen.

In haste, she rushes towards the property. She scans the area, trying to get a glimpse of an orange fur. Something shakes in the shrubs, then she goes to check.

"Mrs. Crumplebottom!" Zari leans to the side of the hedge, almost gasping. "What on earth, are you doing back there?"

"Watering my. . . sunflowers?" Someone answers, sounding almost unsure. "And you?"

The familiar voice forces her to take a step back, heating her cheeks with embarrassment. Damn it, someone had to catch her acting like a fool.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Zari cranes her head up and finds Amaya standing near one of the tall sunflowers. The sunlight catches on her curly hair that she tied in a simple half up and half down style.

Diva rubs her cheek against the side of the witness' leg.

Okay, so this was where she lives? The minimalist theme kinda vibes with her, and maybe if she's not busy feeling annoyed by the cat, she would visit someday.

"Hey," Zari murmurs, her voice cracking. "What's up? Didn't see you back there."

Amaya's mouth curves into almost in smug triumph smile. "Ha. I knew that you're learning to like Diva."

The accusation sends her into a whirlwind and she steps back.

"No, I don't," Zari says with a loud scoff. "She stinks, I was trying to talk to you."

"Z, you can't fool me." Amaya set down the and the gaze of those dark eyes almost pierces hers. "I heard the relief when you were talking. The cat's alright, she just ran into me by a long shot. And do you really have to call her that?"

Shrugging, Zari grimaces at her.

"I mean, Diva's just as mean as Crumplebottom."

In downtown, there's an elderly woman who always pissed off when people display PDAs. Weirdly enough, she has a serious obsession with hanging out in the bar, playing poker, and striking pins in the bowling lanes. That's when lovers can steal their chances of smooching it up as long as they want.

One time when Zari tried to tell her a joke, one time, Crumplebottom lectured her for no damn reason. Like she was just nuts for even daring to speak to her.

However, if Zari was going to choose between Crumplebottom and Diva, she would choose the cat, every single time.

"So, I've read the article in Mesa Flats Tattler," Amaya says. "And I'm looking forward to trying out the food in the Masquerade."

"Oh, you did?" Zari asks, sounding stupid to her ears. "Yeah, I think it's going to take me awhile to work on that."

"What food will you be cooking for the event?" Amaya asks, raising her brows.

Twitching her mouth, Zari looks down.

"I'd rather not say, because it's definitely a surprise."

Amaya chuckles and sighs.

"Fair enough. I'd be spoiled if you revealed such insider knowledge."

Before she could even exactly register the information or comment, her treacherous brain began taking over her words.

"Have you been in Chez Prix?" Zari inquires, the curiosity eating her up.

"No, I haven't. I've heard from one of my friends that the place is quite fancy. Why, is there something you'd like know?"

_Ante up, Tomaz. You can do this._

Gathering her courage, Zari sucks in a breath before she could lose her wits.

"I'm free tonight, so I'm wondering if you'd like to go with me? If it's fine by you."

Anxiousness of rejection tightens her stomach, also causing a tingle in her limbs. She waits for her response, watching her face turn blank.

Just then, Amaya smiles at her. Her pulse starts racing, almost dulling her senses.

"Sure, that sounds fun."

"So, I'll call you up later?"

When Amaya leans forward, she holds her breath. Maybe for something anticipating or maybe something out of plain nervousness, but the space between them sent something unrecognizable through her.

"Yeah, just call me whenever you're ready to invite me there. And I'll meet you there. I'm just going to take my dog out for a walk, first."

Zari picks up the cat, planning to return to the house.

"Cool." Zari slowly gives a close-mouthed smile. "See you later."

***

Once she finishes calling up taxi, she falls into the armchair. Diva rolls over as she plays with the catnip that she bought. It might help increase Diva's fun, because it said so in the buy catalog.

For some reason, her legs are wobbly and her palms are almost covered in sweat. She's not dressed in anything fancy, since it's a quick dinner between her and a friend. She already called her up, a few minutes ago.

She would have gone formal, but that would have been too much in her opinion. But her uniform made her look professional, so she didn't change her outfit and doubted that Amaya would.

(Not that she expected her to be dressed in something fancy. Not that, at all.)

 _It's not a date_ , a part of her brain hisses. They're only going to eat together in a new, fancy restaurant. Nope, it's not like she was going to have a chance either.

Oh, man. Tiffere. The fact that Amaya met her, concerns Zari. Maybe she could ask about the proposal was about. Yet at the same time, it's none of her business. Still. Marriage proposal? Job proposal? What kind of proposal did she even mean by that?

But Tiffere didn't tell Zari to back off from Amaya, right? Only Taranee. But, eventually, if the woman sees the two of them together again, she knows that what she might say isn't going to be pretty.

If she shows up tonight in the restaurant to ruin everything again like in Club Z, Zari's not gonna have it. Just, no.

The taxi pulls up by the house and she goes out to sit in it. It takes her to the restaurant

"Thanks for inviting me, Z," Amaya says, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I've always wanted to try it out since it opened."

"The food smells great," Zari remarks, sniffing meat permeated throughout . "Let's go and grab a seat."

The two of them go into the building, approaching the podium. The restaurant has enough room to hold couples and small groups together. All the chairs and tables appear as if it was from another era in time. The décor reminded her of those outlandishly luxurious mansions she's seen in various websites that she scrolled through the internet.

"Welcome to Chez Prix, ladies," the host greets with a polite smile. "Would you like me to present you to an empty table? The place isn't too booked tonight, so you're lucky because we have many unoccupied seats ready for you."

Zari shakes their hand. "Please do."

The host takes them to a table surrounded with six chairs.

After the host bows, they start slowly stepping back. "Enjoy your evening."

The two of them pull the chairs back to take a seat beside each other. Zari picks up the menu and examines the list of food. Phew, it's not completely pricey like the food in downtown.

Most of the food listed are the ones that she can cook at home, so she's going to pick the one that she doesn't cook often.

"What would you like to order, Miss?" A waiter asks as they approach them, carrying a notepad.

"Yeah, I want the filet mignon," Zari replies, before turning to glance at her friend. "And uh, you, Amaya?"

"I'd like to order the spaghetti," Amaya answers, looking up at the waiter.

"Filet mignon and spaghetti coming eight up!" The waiter scribbles their orders down.

They left them and Amaya drinks the water from the glass.

"I'm sure I could even cook a better spaghetti at home," Zari murmurs, taking a sip from the glass of water. "I mean I know I work in one, but I'm biased to my cooking, I guess."

"I bet you would," Amaya agrees, rapidly nodding. "And maybe you could make a better baked Alaska too. Most restaurants have a strange price for it."

"Uh huh. Tell me about it."

They conversed about the outrageous prices of food in most restaurants around Sim City, and Amaya laughs at some of Zari's salty comments. She didn't tell her if she was being too negative, only letting her express herself. Their eye contact often lasts longer than necessary before she forces herself to break it off.

And it's the right timing, since the waiter shows up with the food beneath the tray in hand.

"Enjoy your meal!" The water exclaims, chef-kissing at the food.

Zari and Amaya began diving into the food that they ordered separately. Amaya spins her fork on the noodles, carefully eating with some neatness. Zari stabs the piece of meat with the fork, then she munches on it.

Someone about the food feels off, so Zari slows the chewing. She grabs a tissue and spits it out. The texture tasted crispy but it doesn't get rid of the fact that it's not. . . good.

"How's the food?" Zari asks, hoping that she doesn't sound freaked out.

"Not sure," Amaya answers, stopping in the middle of her bite. "I'm not much of an expert like you are, but it tastes fine."

What the hell?

"Hmm, okay."

Maybe she should stop before she gets sick or something.

Amaya drops her fork, pressing a hand over her stomach. "I need to go the restroom. My stomach's acting up."

Without another word, Amaya gets up and races to the direction of the bathroom. In dismay and utter disgust, Zari drops the utensils.

"Can I help you, Ma'am?" The waiter asks as they walk up to her.

"My friend's feeling sick," Zari states bluntly. "What's going on here?"

The waiter's face falls. "I'm not sure what caused the inconvenience, Ma'am. I'm going to check and ask the kitchen staff."

All of a sudden, she finds that her friend's back with a frantic expression. She frowns at her surroundings, then stares at Zari.

"I think someone contaminated the water," Amaya suggests, panting. "Because I heard someone puking when I was walking near the kitchen."

In the path of the doorway to the kitchen, the waiter falls to the floor and gags out vomit. Uh oh. That didn't sound good. Who the hell tampered with the water supply of the restaurant?

Dizziness washes over Zari, and she doesn't like the feeling of that. She jumps out of her seat, not willing to fight the nausea away.

Running to the bathroom, Zari pukes into the toilet. She forces it all out as the nausea rolls in her stomach and bile climbs up her throat.

After relieving herself, she flushes the toilet and washes her hands thoroughly. Argh. Why did this had to happen?

Even Tiffere didn't show up, and her night just has to get ruined.

When she leaves the bathroom, she hears the noises of people throwing up simultaneously nearby the kitchen. Nasty. This wasn't right.

"I've never seen anything like this," Amaya remarks, sounding confused. "I think we should take a photo of us looking like a complete mess together."

Huh? Who would take pictures in a time like this? But if she wanted to keep a souvenir of it, then okay.

They go out to the front area, where the photo booth stands beside the bench.

Okay. Now's the moment to take some of the photos during an awful moment. They won't look great, but it's going to be funny.

Getting into the photo booth, Zari sticks out her tongue at the camera. Amaya slides into the seat next to her, brushing her arm over hers. She doesn't register the sensation, because of she lack any sense of time to do so.

The camera snaps photos of them in different positions. They look goofy and awful but also enjoying themselves. But Zari blocks half of Amaya's face in one photo and the pout she puts on is cute.

"These are the worst photos ever," Zari declares, her voice almost dry. "I look dumb in every single one of them."

She almost feels her heart fluttering over the lightness of Amaya's giddy laugh. It's so relaxed and really, she actu-

"Before I pass out, take this," Amaya says, handing a box to her. "I bought it for Diva. Anyways, I live around the corner, so I'll just walk home. See you next time."

Zari waves at her, keeping the box in her pocket. "Bye."

"I deeply apologize for the inconvenience, Ma'am," the host says, sounding regretful. "We're up to investigate who contaminated the water. We weren't aware that the food poisoned you and your friend. Please accept a refund. We'll make up for the accident, if you're going to visit again."

"Yeah, you better, if you want to make this restaurant with five stars," Zari murmurs, slightly dizzy. "You better clean up this mess, because there's no way anyone in town is gonna give it a chance if they hear about this accident."

The host winces. "Okay, as for the accident, I'm going to let you off the hook from paying the bill."

Sweet. She gets to skip the bill without any consequences. Zari fishes her phone out of her pocket to dial up a cab.

As much as this whole thing had been a complete mess, at least, she got to a chance to be around Amaya. Before anything else could have happened.

The entire restaurant got sick, but Amaya remained a good sport throughout the entire thing. She's definitely going to tell Iris about this - she probably knows the owner.

Besides it's an excuse to make her think about anything other than Zari's progress for the food on the Midnight Masquerade- and it's not doing so well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses for being late again, but I might try to wrap this up soon.

Zari coughs as she wipes the grime off the counter table with a wet cough. Without warning, Iris called her earlier as she woke up and told her that she would show up for the food that she assigned her to make.

Which she hasn't yet. Damn it, she's going to get fired isn't she?

She managed to get a day off, so she's going to use it to cook. With no distractions and no other problems.

Picking up a book from the shelf, she starts studying on more cooking. It might get her a promotion, but eh.

She starts memorizing the ingredients and technique needed to make the first. course of the meal. The ways to mix it and not to set the house on fire. Although, she doesn't have to worry because she's not going to use the stove.

After returning the book, Zari heads to the fridge to start her work.

She prepares the ingredients needed for salad, setting them on the counter. She tears the cabbage into tiny little pieces and puts it into the mixing bowl. She seasons the salt and pepper into the mix, pouring half of the dressing from the drawers. She arranges the cheese, meat, eggs and avocado into a little formation, before scattering the tomatoes, cucumbers and croutons on the top. 

Tapping the side of the bowl, she drops the ladles beside upon completing the chef salad. It smells fresh and cooked with hard work, and Iris will be so thrilled.

Bile builds up her throat and she throws a hand over her mouth. Seriously, at a time like this?

She barges into the bathroom, only to throw up again. 

As soon as she gets back the kitchen, she freezes in mid-walking. Her stomach hardens but not because of bile.

"No!" Zari hears her heartbeat thrashing in her ears. "Diva, get away from the food. _Now._ "

Diva quickly leaps off the counter, only to leave an empty plate. She licks the corners of her mouth with no traces of the salad.

That's the last straw. Zari places her hands into her hair, almost ready to rip it off.  
Damn it.

Maybe she could still make it again before her boss arrives. In a rush, she slams the door of the fridge open. Only to find the ingredients needed for the salad, not there.

Crap. Now she has to get out and buy some fresh groceries.

Zari's never seen a salad so disrespected in her life before. Gross, Diva, that was just gross. She poured her sweat and blood (okay, not literally) into that hard work and Diva ate it all without a blink of an eye.

"I swear, you damn cat," Zari hisses, gasping to control her breath. "You . . ."

However, the cat doesn't show any remorse and flicks her tail.

Great. What's she going to know? There has to be a way to stall this. . .

Her heart drops as somebody rings the door-bell. Damn, she's screwed. Zari drags her palms down her face and suppresses a sigh.

Fine. Here goes nothing.

Mustering all the courage she can, she opens the door and leans against the doorway. She also feigns a cheery smile.

"Hey, Iris." Zari raises her hand to wave. "You're lookin' good, today."

She really does. With the maroon button-down shirt and the blazer that matches the brown in her eyes, she's dresses as if she's in the business career track instead of the culinary track.

"Is the salad already finished?" Iris asks with her 'get-down-to-business' voice. 

Zari shoves a shaky hand into her pocket, then tries to face her boss.

"Can you check again later? The salad's not done yet."

Her boss stops to a halt and her shoulders slump. Some vague impatience slip into her sober expression.

"You better have a good excuse for this, Tomaz," Iris comments, almost with a reprimanding tone. "I will return for the salad in the evening. Good day."

Once Iris leaves the pavement, Zari lets out a shaky breath almost emptying her lungs. 

Well, that went awkward and bad. And it's almost as if she's in a rush for something too. She immediately calls up the taxi for a ride to the Six Point Plaza.

She stands where she is, waiting for the taxi. 

Okay. She better settle this war between her and the cat, once and for all. She can't let Diva keep disrupting her work or get in her way. Tiffere's already doing that, so she can't allow the cat to do that either. There's gotta be some truce for the both of them. It's been a while since she got here, so she should have stopped being a bratty cat.

Palm trees are enclosed around the sides of the huge light yellow building. It's divided into four different stores all on the same floor. There's a small clothing store, an electronic shop, where people can purchase and play games. And a mini food court, where people are lining up to order. And of course, she couldn't forget the grocery store that has the best produce in town. She's in luck.

Zari pushes the door open, getting to the shop. She gets a basket to collect all the food that she's going to get. She goes to each aisle, inspecting the least rotten vegetables.

After getting the necessary ingredients, she walks up to pay for it. The cashier scans the price for each and every food, and the machine beeps.

"It will be about four hundred simoleons," the teenage cashier stated, looking at the cash register. 

She pays them the cash with the sufficient amount of money.

"Here you go," Zari says, then takes the basket back. "Thanks."

On such short notice, she's gotten the best lettuce. It might be wilted once she gets home, but it will still serve some use.

Just as she leaves the store, she pauses on her pace. Someone that she recognizes takes the steps to the entrance.

Hold up. Amaya's here? She drew her brows together. She should check on how's feeling and if she's better after last night.

Especially since she got food poisoning. And it was nasty.

Zari's feet began dragging her towards her, almost getting in front of her.

"Hey, Amaya." Zari tries catching up to her. "Are you feeling any better, today?"

A smile lights up Amaya's face, and her heart beat quickens. Something about it makes her feel on top of the world or something euphoric, and she likes it.

"I am," Amaya answers, raising her head. "Thanks for asking, and hey I was worried about you. So, before I got here, I sent you some comfort soup to your place. Hopefully, it will soothe you when you get home to eat it."

She made some soup just for her? Zari's throat turns dry, almost depriving her ability of speech.

Aww. That's so sweet of her. 

"Can I hug you?" Zari asks with a grimace. "Sorry, if it's throwing you off. I-"

"No, it's not." Amaya beams at her, an excited glow in her dark eyes. "I'm okay with it, Z. Go ahead."

Swallowing, Zari leans forward to wrap her arms around Amaya. She feels the strength of her body, along with Amaya patting her back with her palm. The gentle warmth of her embrace and touch lingers over her. Maybe her cheeks are red and people are watching, but whatever.

She's hugging her friend and that's important to her.

They break it off when they step back. Zari smiles at her with a wave of affection spreading through her chest.

That's a real pleasant hug. She may not have spent enough time with her, but it doesn't change the fact that it's clear that Amaya's down-to-earth and kind. And pretty. Something about her feels so right too.

Hopefully, they can hang out together after Zari finishes her work for the Masquerade. And heck, maybe they could be more someday? Dunno, maybe. . .

A little figure scampers into the area, almost bouncing at her. Zari jumps, pressing a hand against her chest.

However, when she sees who it is, her jaw drops.

"Diva," Zari says slowly, trying to calm down. "How did you get out? Did you just follow me?"

Diva just meows in response as if she has no idea.

Amaya bends down to stroke along the cat's jaw and chuckles softly. 

"Aww, I think she really likes you." Amaya stares up at her with a smile. "Beneath that gruff exterior is a true cat lover. Animals can tell these things, Zari."

"I guess so," Zari mumbles, slightly petulant.

Yeah, but she ate all the salad, just this morning. If Amaya had been there, maybe she wouldn't have said that.

Still, Diva stares up at her with some in her hazel eyes. She licks her paw, just before somebody picks her up and tosses her in the air.

She crosses her arms, feeling twitchy at the sight.

"Put that cat down," Zari mutters. "She will scratch your eyeballs out.

"She's been welcoming to others lately," Amaya remarks, sounding in awe. "She was pretty hostile to the people I invited over, when she was still in my house. Thankfully, she's been less aggressive."

Zari stills, an idea befalling her. "Wanna see her do a trick?"

"Sure," Amaya says, slightly confused.

"C'mon, Diva." Zari encourages. "Be a star and do a trick for Amaya."

Diva meows, sitting on the floor. She lays on her back, rolling over to the side and completely on her back.

Amaya darts an inquisitive glance.

"You. . .you taught her that?"

Zari quickly nods, getting back on her feet.

"Yup. It was pretty easy."

"I always knew that she's a pretty smart cat."

"I didn't. Never knew she'd actually even do this."

Amaya claps at Diva's performance. Zari's eyes at the masquerade mask promotion poster, then an idea hit her.

Hey, if she could spend time with Amaya. . . she could ask her out to the Masquerade. She would ask Sara to accompany her, but she's interested in going solo, this year. She would ask anyone else, but they all planned to bring some platonic friends with them.

Zari stares at Amaya, clasping the elbow with an arm.

"So, Amaya," Zari starts, almost frantic. "I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to the Midnight Masquerade? You know, as a friend?"

She would have said 'date' but that's being too forward and she doesn't want Amaya to be weirded put by it. Taking the platonic route seemed to be a safer option.

Amaya tilts her head to the side, her expression almost tentative and. . . resigned.

Amaya does a heavy exhale. "I'd love to go with you, Zari. It's just that Tiffere already asked me to attend with her, this morning."

What? _What?_ Her ribs grow tight, almost restricting her of breath.

Someone already asked her out? Okay. She gets it. She's fine, really. Completely fiiinnnee.

"Oh, I see." Zari presses her lips tight. "Are you doing anything else after this?"

"I'm going to go back home," Amaya says, resting her hand on her shoulder. "I'll just buy some magazines and then go. Hope to see you again, Z. Dag-dag."

Zari nods, and the hand slips away. She watches her walk into the direction to the plaza's main foyer. Disappearing with the rest of the crowd. A weight settles in her chest.

"Yeah, dag-dag."

She turns her head down and groans. Great. Just great. She lost a chance.

Diva looks up at her with worry, pressing the side of her face over her leg. Zari gets her up and runs her palm over her fur.

Today's going to be such an awful drag, she thinks. Huh? Good to know that Tiffere can crush her plans even without being around.

Sadly, she doesn't have the time to figure this crap out. Maybe burying herself into the work would ease the disappointment.

  
***

  
The simple taste of the soup melts into her tongue, warming her throat and she lets out a breath. She takes extra bites (or sips?), wanting her colds to shake off.

For a comfort soup, it sure does its job. She drinks and swallows the content.

Amaya's done a great job on making this, because the flavor's exquisite with the right amount of salt and vinegar.

The door-bell rings and she puts down the spoon, then gets up from her seat. From the windows, she sees the blue delivery truck.

Another delivery? She didn't order anything earlier, right? She opens the door to find a box in front and with something on the top.

She picks up the note and reads it.

_Dear Diva,_

_Try to be good and not ruin auntie Z's things. I bought this scratching post for you to use instead. It's a new model that's been recently released, so maybe you can use it to satisfy your scratchy needs._

_I miss you a lot, love B._

Behrad has a right idea, she thinks, slipping the note into her pocket. She should put it right away to forestall any destruction by the cat. Maybe this will solve everything.

Zari removes the old scratching post, replacing it with the new one. It's not light brown like the previous one, but almost made of yellow cloth and black paint covered the wooden parts.

After Zari puts the groceries in the fridge, Diva starts stretching her claws against the scratching post.

It looks like they're both doing and feeling better. At the exact same time.

With the groceries away and Diva playing, this shouldn't be a bad moment to start again. . .

Time to for another crack at the salad: no cat hair edition! She gets the ingredients again, and repeats the process she's done earlier in the morning. She sets the bowl with the freshly prepared salad into the counter surface again. 

Moving her gaze to the living, she glances at the cat area.

Diva's enjoying herself with the new scratching post. She sinks the claws down the wood with her eyes closed and stops. She takes a look at her own paw, before striking the scratching post again. Hmmm, she can't lie and that looks kinda fun. Should Zari get one for herself?

Well, it made her sound nuts but. . .

Her eyes fell at the salad, sitting on the counter with no force field to protect it.

The cat better stay away from the counter and eat her damn cat food. Zari glowers at the cat as she eats but something makes her drop the hostility. A fuzzy warmth washes over her chest.

And no, it's not vomit. Something else, something almost contented at the little domestic moment.

She waits for Diva to be done with her meal. The cat 

"Good kitty," Zari whispers, holding her close to her chest. "You're a bastard cat but I like you."

_Don't wreck any more furniture, please. And stop being rude to food, that's just gross._

After letting the cat escape from her embrace, Zari decides to clean the mess. She washes the plate, which had the first batch of salad, then washes the sink. She scrubs it clean, removing the filth.

The door-bell rings again and she doesn't get a chance to examine her feelings.

So, she answers it and her boss is there.

"Hey, boss," Zari says. "Glad you're here. Get in."

Iris nods, stepping into the house. "Good evening, Tomaz. Are you having a nice day off?"

"Yeah. The salad's in the kitchen, and I'll bring you there."

"Really? Show me the way."

With a quick stroll to the kitchen, she presents the salad to her boss.

"Here you go, Iris. I went with tarragon instead of cat hair, this time."

Iris pulls a face at her, blinking.

"Um, okay." Her boss grabs the batch of salad, keeping it in her pocket. "Thank you. I'll send your paycheck for your service."

"Yeah, but I didn't complete most of my tasks yet."

Her boss leans her head down to sniff the food, then rivets her attention back to her.  
Iris smiles knowingly. "Yes, but a good chef deserves a good credit. See you tomorrow at work, Tomaz."

"You too, boss." Zari nods.

Diva enters the room as her eyes goes up to her boss, who starts walking out to the door. The cat meows randomly as if calling for help when she doesn't need any.

"Mow," Zari replies back. 

Then the cat throws a disturbed look as if she offended her ancestors. Awkward.

So stupid. Maybe she should talk to other people to boost her need to 'socialize'. She sends a text to her brother, who hasn't sent any message in two days. She tells him about the progress with Diva, without mentioning her little 'incident', this morning.

When she keeps her phone into her pocket and goes to the dining room. She pulls a chair back to take a seat. She grabs the bowl with the soup, eating it again. Frustration sweeps over her and she shakes her head.

Ah, Amaya. Tiffere. Midnight Masquerade. Together. Why? Just why?

If Amaya has a crush on her like everyone else in town. . . Zari's in big trouble. Damn it, the last thing she needs is for Tiffere to go all possessive and yell at her to back off from her 'date'. Hell no.

Look, she may have zero chances with Amaya, but it doesn't mean that she's going to stop being a friend. She's been good to both her and Diva, and she's one of the reason of why she's still calm.

Maybe they were working together as business partners. Amaya did tell Zari if she wanted to open up a restaurant, and it sounds like she has some ambition for fortune, in mind. And the proposal isn't as a big deal like she thinks it is.

Or maybe she's thinking too much and needs a damn nap.  
Maybe that.

Zari tries to finish the soup. Her stomach turns full with the food digesting, so she washes the bowl and completes her dinner. Dunch.

Going towards the wall phone, deciding to call someone up.

"Sul sul," a lilted voice answers cheerfully.

"Hey, Tarz. It's me, Zari. You know. . . the sister of Behrad from the promo party?"

  
Taranee laughs at the other line in the end.

"Oh, Zari! I still remember you! How have you been?"

"Meh. And you?"

"Doing amazing and it's been great. Getting busy with the cake preparations for the Masquerade with my mother."

She raises her brows.

"Wait, so you're a baker?"

"Yes, and I work in the business for my mom. I'm sure you've probably heard about our pastry shop before."

"Really? You're preparing for the masquerade, too? I'm a chef for the event and I'm not even done with my job yet."

"You're cooking the meals? Wow, I can't wait to try it out. I'm sure it'll be delicious."

Zari cracks a nervous laugh.

"Can you tell me something about Tiffere Fetching? I know you two hang a lot, together."

There's a brief pause during the call.

"Not really. Well, not since she started getting busy for some business errand, anyway. She's sorta nice, but she's not really. . . open about things? I guess, she's a private person because when I asked her about her previous job, she didn't seem inclined on sharing it."

Hmm. Weird but okay. She could take that.

"So, you haven't spent enough time together to know more about her?"

"Correct. Yeah, anyway, why are you asking me?"

Crap. Why did she have to ask?

Zari winces, glad it's not a face-to-face conversation. "Just curious. You know, because she's new around in Mesa Flats and she's quite an. . . enigma."

"You tell me," Taranee replies, chuckling. "I gotta go and continue with my work. Wouldn't want my mom to see me slacking off. Nice talking to you, Z. Hope to see you again soon."

"Have a nice day ahead, Tarz." Zari hangs up the phone after the call finishes.

So. . . Tiffere changed her interest then, huh? Instead of pursuing Taranee, she decides to woo Amaya? Poor thing. If Tarz liked Tiffere. . . Oops. She royally toyed with the feelings of both of these lovely women.

What a jerk. Whatever, she has some hope that she'll change her mind. If Tiffere managed to go from one girl to the next, maybe she'll break things up with Amaya?

Zari can only dream, right? Even if it's a jack-ass thing to do.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: for some fighting and 
> 
> P.S: what happens between Zari and Tarz isn't a love triangle, promise.

Flipping the page through the book, she knits her brows at the instruction. She makes a quiet gasp upon registering the knowledge.

A stab of pettiness burns through her, but she tries to dismiss it fiercely.

Zari still can't believe that swindler Tiffere is trying to work her magic on both Taranee and Amaya. She'd give her a piece of her damn mind right now, if she didn't have to work on the lobster thermidor for Iris. 

Since she got home from work, she decided to work on improving her cooking skill.  
Okay, it's time to work on the main course that should be a hit for the event. . . if she manages to keep the cat hair out of it.

Zari puts the useful study book back in the shelf, then proceeds to the kitchen.

Getting the ingredients from the fridge, she begins working on the lobster. It's her first time and she's hoping she doesn't mess it up. So, she starts slicing the lobster in half and gets ride of the meat from the claws, tail, and head. She sets it aside to cut it up into pieces, before putting it into the shell. Since she melted the butter earlier, she mixes it in the fish stock, white juice and double cream.

When it boils and is reduced by half, she mixes it with mustard, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. She pre-heated the oven and keeps the lobster halves on a baking sheet, spooning the prepared sauce on the lobster meat in the shell. While adding the finishing touches, she sprinkles a bit of parmesan cheese on the top.

Zari puts the lobster into the oven. Once it dings, she removes it and serves it on a plate, fresh and ready. The red shell of the lobster is coated by the crispy covering of the cream.  
The doorbell rings and she goes to pick it up.

"Good morning, Tomaz. Do you have the lobster thermidor ready?" Iris asks as she gets into the house.

"Oh, hi, Iris," Zari replies, following her into the kitchen. "Here you go. One lobster thermidor, cooked and all set for the party."

Iris delves into the food, smelling it. "Thank you, Tomaz. It looks and smells great. Another Z specialty that's sure to be a hit in the event."

"You can count me in on that, boss." Zari chuckles, wiping her sweaty palms over her uniform.

Once her boss has the food with her, she leaves. She closes the door when she gets outside.

Zari falls on the side of the wall, letting out a heavy breath. Finally, all the food is good to go and her boss is pleased. She slowly stands up. She decides to go check on her furry guest.

Diva licks the corners of her mouth with her tongue when she finishes her food. It's even a miracle that she didn't bother getting a chance on snatching the lobster like she did with the chef salad.

"Okay, you've done good for today," Zari says, earnest for once. "I guess, you deserve some recognition for that."

Zari gets down, offering a fish cracker Diva. She slowly chews it up from her palm and eats it up. Well, she figured that she deserves a treat for not being a spoiled brat, today. After the cat swallows it whole, she goes to the wall phone.

It's been awhile since Sara's been over, maybe she should give her a call and invite her over. And get some any new info regarding the criminal, because she's curious and concerned for the well-being of the neighborhood. Mostly, so that she can get any evidence if Tiffere isn't who she's trying to convince everyone she is.

Zari can't afford to look like a jack-ass though and has to keep it to herself. The fog of her thoughts left as the doorbell rings again. She unlatches the knob, opening the door.

"Glad you made it, Sara," Zari greets, letting her get in. "You won't believe how stressful this week has been for me."

She shuts the door, then goes to her friend.

Dismay and flits across Sara's features as she examines the house. Her eyes trail Diva and she looks up at Zari.

"How did the place get turned into a petting zoo?" Sara asks indignantly.

"I'm looking after Diva for Behrad," Zari reminds, slightly annoyed. "So, do you have any latest news on the con-person? Because I am up for it, if you got any."

Sara waves her hands up. She encompasses an arm around the room.

"Listen, I can't take how much of an animal sanctuary this place has turned into," Sara replies. "Meet me in Flat Hat Bar and I'll fill you in the details."

She can't stand playing poker, but she doesn't mind watching it for some reason. Maybe it's how it reveals how everyone could be a sour loser and how it amuses Zari.

Yeah, maybe that.

"Sure thing, I'll see you there." Zari nods.

Sara leaves the house and off to the street. Well, she's not going to waste more time is she? It beats play solitaire and being around good company are always welcome distractions from the things she can't do anything about.

After re-filling the cat food bowl, she calls up for a ride.

  
***

  
The taxi drops her off into the lot, and she enters the building. A mini-restaurant fills the first floor, already busy judging by the waiters going to the customers. She takes the flight of stairs, then finds her friends occupying a poker table.

There's also a jukebox near the corner of the bathroom wall, a couch on the edge of the room and a darts board on the wall. Some pop song's playing from a vintage jukebox. Her entrance catches the attention of her friends gathered around the poker table.

"Z, you've made it!" Ray smiles, looking up from his cards. 

"By the way, you didn't miss anything by a mile." Claude hangs her arm over her chair, then she turns some card over. "Ah, crap. There goes my hundred simoleons."

"That's what you get for being distracted," Lisa sing-songs, tapping her cheek.

"Thank you for your mistake," Sara says, before glancing at her. "Oh, hey, Zari."

From the edge of the table, Jax waves at her. He tosses a bag of chips to her and she catches it. She gives a thumbs-up, taking the empty space of the sofa to watch them.

"Thanks, pal," she murmurs. "Sara, what about the news regarding the con-person?"

"Oh, yeah," Sara says, sounding as if she almost forgot. "Right. So, I don't think that Tiffere's the person, we're looking for."

Damn it. Really? Zari's shoulders slump as she opens the bag of chips. She shoves a few pieces into her mouth, shaking her head.

"Tiffere Fetching? Why would she be a con-person?" Ray asks, sounding alarmed.

Claude tries to swipe some of his chips, only for him to stop her by hiding it from her. She makes a smug smirk and he sighs.

That's how petty they can be, she thinks, over a game of poker.

"Dude, everything about her feels fake," Zari explains flatly. "She's got some weird proposal going on with a neighbor, and she make it clear that she's not a fan of me. And told me to back off from someone. So, that's enough to put me on the edge of suspicion."

"Yikes," Jax murmurs, while drinking up the can of juice.

Sara grimaces, tossing a card. "I thought that she was the criminal too, until Sharpe and I found out that our suspect's last name starts with an L. Sorry, Z."

It's a complete bummer. 

"Aw, you sounded scared back there, Raymond," Lisa coos. "Poor thing."

"I was a little worried, because some guy in a top hat pickpocketed me." Ray frowns, furrowing his brows. "I've been furious for two days. I just want to kick his trash can, even though I have no idea where he lives."

"You'll get over it, dude," Jax replies, patting him on the shoulder. "Like I did, when a burglar tried to rob my house, one time."

"Or when the firefighter got pissed at me for a false alarm," Sara adds. "Then I got pissed back, and somehow, it didn't matter anymore. Fury is a temporary feeling, so no need to kick trash cans."

Zari scrunches her face. "Did you called the Fire Department for a fake emergency?"

"No, but my lot had so much rain and lightning struck one of my trees. Suddenly, the fire went out before the truck arrived and the firefighter made me pay a damn fine for no reason."

"Please. I was furious at Deanna DeBore for trying to evict me and poked her when I got the chance," Claude mutters, scowling.

"Still, she kicked your ass in the fight," Lisa replies, not impressed.

Claude shakes her head and drags her hands over her face, only to get some of the guys to laugh. She blinks rapidly, reverting her attention back to the cards.

"I'm thinking on getting a promotion," Ray says, sobering up first.

"Do it, do it," Zari chants.

"You're barely even working," Sara points out, putting a few of the chips down. "All you do is flip vinyl and turn tables."

"It's an art," Ray protests, his mouth slacking. "Besides, it's the slacker career. I can't go back and re-take college for nice degree. I would if I could, to be honest."

"You can get more money through painting," Claude states, her eyes on him. "My latest masterpiece costed one thousand fifty simoleons, I think."

"Yeah, but it requires a high creativity skill."

"Buddy, if you want the promotion, just go for it." Sara clasps a hand on his upper arm as if for encouragement. "Even if it means working your ass off for it."

Ray's expression turns downcast. "I'll think about it."

It's when silence takes over as conversation subsides. Jax observes the four of the players, while earning and losing simoleons. Zari continues on munching the snack, alleviating some of the early disappointment away.

When the potato chips are all gone, she gets up to throw it in the trash can. She returns to the sofa, lounging on the edge to keep an eye on the game going on. Lisa leans back on her seat, lifting her chin up.

"The Casanova invited me to a party, last week." Lisa laughs, a sneaky grin painting her features. "And let me tell you guys, how crazy it had been. He invited most of his lovers, thinking he wouldn't get caught."

Jax almost spits out his drink, Claude freezes, Ray stares ahead incredulously and Sara's mouth falls.

"The hell? Really?" Zari curls her lips.

Sara snickers, covering her mouth. "That jack-ass. Why throw a party and invite all of the women, you're woohooing and woohoo with one of them? I'm sure lots of those girls were mad at him for making them feel special, only to find out he's done it a lot."

"The party went downhill after that," Lisa says, side-eyeing. "Too bad, he was yummy though."

Those sort of sims really ramp up the drama in the neighborhood, Zari thinks. It's weird when some fellow sims thirst for them, especially when they have commitment issues. There's no way that anyone can settle down with them. It always ends up in fights and heartbreaks.

"Do any of you guys have plans for winter?" Jax asks, changing the subject. "I think I might visit my mom in Bitville when I get a promotion and the right amount of money."

"Working on finding a new lot," Lisa replies, swiping the chips off the table.

"My dad and sister are inviting me to a vacation to the mountains," Sara answers, sounding fond. "The winter there is good, plus, we'll ski and stay indoors in the hotel."

"Just some bonding time with Nate," Ray babbles, his answer going out in a rapid rush.

"I'm going on a vacation to Twikki Island." Claude pushes her loose braided hair behind. "I'm going to rent a place in the beach resort, because I'm just. . . Crap, I'm out of words."

"You're just that extra," Ray replies without missing a cheerful beat.

Claude chuckles. "Exactly. I mean having thirty thousand simoleons isn't really ideal for me."

"Please take me with you," Zari murmurs, rubbing a palm over her forehead. "I feel like I need a break from all this."

Claude looks back at her, holding her cards.

"You want to join me? Okay, since I have enough money, I'll invite you to the trip."

"Thank you." Zari throws her head back into the cushion.

Jax presses his hands on the table, getting up. "Who's up for a game of darts?"

The guy's joined with the responses of Ray and Claude, who also drop their cards.

"Looks like this is between you and me," Lisa says, winking.

"Oh! You're going down, Snart." Sara stares at her right in the eyes, her expression threatening.

Lisa huffs a husky laugh. "Don't think you can beat me in this game, Lance."

"We'll see about it." Sara glowers at her, before spinning the table.

Zari gets up from the couch, joining the other three for darts. It's less competitive and everyone has a fair chance at losing.

"Did you guys planned your outfits for the party?" Jax asks in the middle of aiming his dart on the board.

He throws his hands up at the missed shot, then backs away from the board.

"I'm going to wear a floral suit," Claude answers, aiming the dart. "But the flowers aren't going to be printed on. That would be plain."

She makes a frustrated huff, glowering at the dart far away from the main point.

"Well, I'm going for a simple look." Ray focuses on the board while holding the dart. "A button-down and slacks is what I'm going to wear."

Her friend pitches the dart, only for it to land right near the target.

Claude shakes her head lightly and smiles.

"Good aim, my friend. You're getting better and better at this."

Ray winces. "So close."

Jax snorts, getting his turn.

"Didn't decide yet," Zari answers, her voice monotone. "You know Tiffere is going to the party with Amaya, and I admit I'm actually jealous about it."

"Or wouldn't be?" Ray crosses his arms over his chest. "After all, half of the town is nuts for the new girl."

"Ugh. I meant I'm upset that Amaya's going with Tiffere, instead of me."

Jax raises his brows. "Is she the one who owns a little Jack Russell Terrier? I've seen her in a community lot, a few times. And I think she's also an aspiring artist?"

Zari's almost slammed by shock.

"S-she is? Then maybe that's why she's having some proposal with Tiffere. I don't know what to do."

With a groan, Zari throws the dart and aims for the full score. She's not pleased by her missed shot but she's not surprised either.

"I guess, you should take a look of who just walked in," Jax suggests, his eyes following someone appearing from the stairs. "Maybe that'll give ya, an idea."

Zari lets her friends play games, while she decides to watch them. As Jax gets in the lead with the other two falling behind, she catches a familiar face in the room and suddenly gets what her friend meant. She can't tear her head away when the person sees her and clasps their hands.

Taranee smiles and her eyes sparkle, and she can't believe she can do all that at once.

"How nice it is to see you here, Zari!" 

Does this girl always smile like she's got it under control and is on the peak of her life? Maybe.

"Great to see you here too, Taranee," Zari replies, unable to help a smile on her face.

"I never thought I'd see you here."

"Me too. I always come here with my friends.

"And crush us at darts," Ray adds, clutching on a piece. "Usually, crushing us at darts."

Taranee chuckles and Zari scoffs. It's always like her sunshine best friend to mention something out of the blue.

"Dance with me, Z," Taranee says, going to the small, empty dance floor. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

With no protest, Zari follows the woman into the empty dance floor. She notices that some eyes fell on the two of them but doesn't give a care. They're just hanging out as friends and that's the only main thing going on here.

Activating the juke box, she gets it on with Tarz. A casual jazz song plays from the speakers, setting a friendly mood to their surroundings. She dances and her partner moves like a real pro. She's swaying her arms in a slow manner and her feet goes along with the rhythm of the music, while Zari tries her best to dance to the same beat.

They stop when the song finishes.

"I'll just go to the restroom," Tarz tells her.

"Sure," Zari replies.

Despite their short acquaintance, maybe they can try being friends. As far as she can tell, Zari wouldn't mind hanging out with Taranee if it meant she'll get through the whole week without worrying and thinking about what's going to happen next.

Well, what can Zari say? Maybe if she's okay with it, she'll—

Someone pokes Zari in the chest and glares at her. Ouch, somebody could have warned her. She wipes it and searches for the person, who approached her.

"I told you to back off from Taranee, Tomaz," Tiffere hisses, her violet eyes burning in daggers.

"Hey, go away," Zari replies, poking her back. "I'm not hitting on her, you idiot. We're only talking."

What did she do to even deserve this non-sense? If the only way to resolve this is through a good ol' fashioned. . . Nope, not doing it. She doesn't have enough body skill to actually beat the woman in a fight, so no.

A red-headed girl walks up to Sara, cracking her knuckles.

"Hey, are you a friend of Zari's?" The woman inquires. "I've got a knuckle sandwich for ya!"

Before Sara could even , she receives a punch on her face. She scowls at the woman, who's smirking back at her. Oh, hell no. If this is Tiffere's way of trying to provoke Zari, she wouldn't hesitate to show her how to back off.

A throw-down starts when the woman pounces on Sara. They smack each other, grabbing and pulling each other's hair out. They are fighting dirty and the redhead seems to get the upper hand as she clutches Sara's shoulder and pulls an arm. Sara groans, trying to fight back.

It gains the attention of everyone, who turned to observe the fight. Both Jax and Ray cover their eyes and watch with worry, while Claude and Lisa cheer for Sara. Zari boos at the other person involved in the fight, not liking how she started it.

Sara did nothing to get into this fight. What the hell?

The brawl ends as Sara gets back on her feet and dusts her hands. She props her hands on her hips with a grin over her face at the loser on the ground. The loser runs out of the room just when Tarz get back in. She gasps at the fighters, her eyes widening at the scene.

"Um, guys?" Tarz knits her brows together. "What on earth is going on here?"

Before Ray or Jax could speak, Tiffere pushes them away to move past them.

"Oh, nothing, Tarz!" Tiffere chimes in, clasping her hands together. "We were just discussing some costume ideas for the masquerade. Speaking of it, would you attend with me, Taranee?" 

Oh, is she kidding? She already has a damn date and it's with Amaya. No way, she's serious about trying to get another one. And it's one of the worst lies, Zari's ever heard. She wants to scream and get some good therapy out of it.

Tarz shook her head. "Sorry, not interested. I'm sure there's other people, who are available out there."

"Too bad. At least, we still have our side project," Tiffere says, then picks her friend up from the ground. "Let's go, Eliana."

Tiffere drags her friend out with her just as she glares in Zari's direction. She resists the temptation to flick her middle finger at her, knowing it wouldn’t make the current situation any better. Ugh, this wasn't how tonight was supposed to go. She can see her friends looking stricken and completely weirded out by the fight that happened. 

Thankfully, Sara's fine and she sighs in relief.

"Glad that fight's over," Sara murmurs, wiping her sweaty forehead.

"Anyone of you guys up for some dinner?" Zari asked awkwardly, wincing. 

Most of her friends shake their heads and Lisa yawns. Tiffere shrugs, her face scrunched up.

"Nah, I'm heading out." Jax puts his hands up. "Tonight's been insane to me. I gotta get some sleep."

"Totally agree with you," Ray replies. "I've got work in three hours, so I have to go."

"My dog's waiting me, and it's best if I leave now." Claude adjusts her sunglasses. 

Lisa grins. "I've got the money to buy some take out. See you guys later."

Sara pouts, seeming dejected. "Alright. Maybe I should go home too and my good ol' doggo's probably sick worrying about me."

Taranee frowns. "I'd love to but I can't. Promise my sister, I'd help her with an important errand."

Sara waves at her as she takes the staircase.

"See you around, Zari."

"Bye everyone," Zari replies, her voice faint and she waves at her friends, who are getting up to leave.

Like everyone else, Zari thinks it's better to go home and see what her cat's been up to in her absence. It's a wild night and she needs some rest from it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it really a love triangle if Person C is just using Person A?? Anywhere, be warned for that and it's not gonna be pretty. Z really needs rest after this, huh?

"Zari, you're joining Club Z with me," Taranee says, the first thing the next day. "This isn't optional- you've been working non-stop and stress isn't a good look on you. You need to relax and wear it off."

Almost startled by her sudden appearance and not pleased by her lack of warning, she gets up from the chair.

"I really shouldn't, Tarz," she replies, keeping the book on the shelf. "I haven't even started working on the ice sculpture yet. I don't know if I should."

"Remember the first time we met during the party?" Taranee clasps her hands together, her warm brown eyes questioning. "And we danced together? C'mon, Z, it'll be even more fun if we do it in the club! Plus, there's other activities to do."

Weighed by doubt, Zari shoves her hands into her pockets and turns her head away.

She's right, definitely right. Of course, while she does have to work on the ice sculpture, it doesn't mean that she's going to deplete her fun motive. Club Z is a fun place (okay, it's the only community lot she hangs out in more than any ones), where people go have fun or make themselves look like clowns.

And honestly? Since she's feeling like one, why not?

If it gets Tarz off her back, she's willing to go. And she might as well go and have fun with her new friend and forget her problems.

"Okay," Zari says, rolling her eyes. "I'll go with you. Only on the condition that it's not a date."

Before she could take that back, she pulls a face at herself. She didn't need to clarify it, because duh, Taranee didn't ask her out in a date.

"Don't worry, it's an outing between you, me, and Lisa." Tarz stands still with a genuine smile lighting up her face. "Great, I'll see you there!"

As she opens the door for her new friend and lets her leave the house, she waves at her. She pushes the door shut with exhaustion. 

If she's honest, there's a fifty-fifty chance that she'll run into Tiffere again. Last night was pretty intense with the other woman getting mad at her for talking to Taranee. 

Poking her in the chest and tells her best friend to attack Sara to get back at her? So low and lame.

Who does Tiffere think she is? Telling Zari what to do and who she can talk to? She can't boss around and expect her to do as she says. If Tiffere's up to something. . . Zari is not here for it. Maybe she's worried about Zari tarnishing her popularity or something. It'll make sense really if that's the case, but it doesn't justify her viciousness.

Zari calls up a taxi, so that she'll not be stuck in the house to ruminate. When she's done, she goes into her bedroom.

Near the dancing toy, Diva smacks the shaky mouse with her paw. She growls at it.

Zari carries a cat teasing toy out of her pocket, hovering it above Diva. She plays with her for a bit, annoying her into trying to catch the dangling mouse.

The taxi arrives to bring her to the community lot. She pats Diva on the head, before rushing out to the door.

Hopping into the ride, she takes up the seat in the front. In a few minutes, the taxi brings her to the club. She shuts the door and goes down on the sidewalk. She sees Taranee and Lisa walking down the pavement, all casually dressed and ready for fun. Zari waves at them.

"Hey, Z, you made it!" Taranee gasps.

"Aww, told you she wouldn't miss it," Lisa says elatedly.

Lisa rubs her hands together, a smirk playing on her symmetric features. 

Just when she goes up to her friends, something in her chest almost stops when she sets her eyes on two people walking towards the entrance of the club, in linked arms.

A rush of volatile emotions washes over Zari, causing her breath to catch and her stomach to harden. Tiffere had to show up with Amaya, huh? If she's trying to brag, then she's doing it well.

What problems will she try to cause tonight? Will she start a fire via the grill? Remove. . . hang on, there's no swimming pool. So, she should be safe. Not emotionally, though. She's probably going to get screwed or worse.

On the bright side, she's in one of her favorite places with her favorite peeps. However, a back of her mind knows that Tiffere will find some way to wreck it.

Returning her attention to her friends, Zari shakes her head and forms a smile on her face. Her cheeks hurt by how stiff it is, but she doesn't care.

"Do you sing, Z?" Taranee asks, while the three of them make their way into the club.

"Not really," Zari answers, her gaze wandering elsewhere. She's not sure where, though. "It's not for me, I never really got into it."

"Well, there's a karaoke machine in the back," Lisa points out with a wink that's close to being flirty. 

"Oh! We should totally sing a duet!" Taranee, then her happy expression freezes and she tucks her arms in the sides. "If you won't mind, that is."

Mind? Not at all, not at all.

"Sure," Zari murmurs, nodding.

Time to strain her vocal cords on the karaoke machine and sing her heart out. If Behrad would see her right now, he'd be in a laughing fit.

The three of them go around to the out area, where there's a bar and . A karaoke machine is in front of the half-wall. Hmm, it seems like no one used it for days. Taranee gets a microphone from the stand, then Zari turns the machine on and grabs a mike.

A random song starts playing from the speakers and the lyrics appear on the small screen. Zari starts off with the of the song with Taranee picking up on the chorus. Lisa takes a seat on the booth beside the machine, and cheers for them.

Because of her improved creativity skill, Zari doesn't sound croaky and too high. She sounds fine and in tune to the lyrics shown on the screen. On the other hand, Taranee sings with a smoothness and ease. She must have mastered the skill, Zari thinks with admiration.

Their singing gathers a small crowd as audiences for their singing. It consists some of the townies she's familiar with, a few co-workers, and she manages to pick out someone else. . .

Whoa, what? Her boss is here and witnessing her employee singing her ass off like a drunken sailor? Uh oh. 

Iris sways to the music along with the crowd, who cheers on for them. Zari and Taranee lean close, almost brushing their shoulders.

By the moment the song ends, Iris claps along with the audience. Zari and her friend put the microphones down, getting away from the attention and machine. 

Without warning, her boss saunters up to her. She freezes, panic creeping down her spine.

Please don't throw a tomato at me without anyone looking. Please, don't ask about the ice sculpture, please don't fire me. Please ignore me.

She turns around, having no choice except to face the inevitable.

"Didn't think you have amazing singing prowess, Tomaz," Iris remarks with surprise.

"Yeah, I didn't know it either." Zari rubs the back of her neck, almost close to getting speechless.

Her boss paying a compliment to her? Well, that's a highlight in its own right.

A white woman with short brown hair beams at her. Zari spreads her arms, giving a quick earthy hug.

"Hi, Lily."

"Hey, Z! That's quite an impressive performance back there."

Zari feels her face heated at the compliment. "Um, thanks."

"You should consider taking that talent on the road," Lily suggests. "You've got the skills to change careers."

Zari shakes her head. "Nah. The music career track doesn't suit me."

"Good evening, Miss Husna," Tiffere purrs, her sultry voice sending chills. "You've done a beautiful good job back there."

She almost jumps at the unexpected arrival of her sorta rival. She grimaces, trying to not be in her sightline.

Tiffere's hands reach out as if to pinch something but Taranee shoves her away. Her usual happy face looks terrifying with the glare darkening her features. That was not a squeeze. It's a goose, the most erotic flirt that any sim can do. 

What a b**ch. Can't Tiffere see that Tarz wants to do nothing with her? To top it off, she's trying to do it in a place, where her date might catch her? Unbelievable.

It makes a part of her squeeze for Amaya. She hopes she knows what she's getting into. As she tries to greet another friend, she feels that she's holding something in. Okay, she has to pee. Damn bladder and all the other stupid needs. She goes to the bathroom to fulfill it and washes her hands after.

When she walks out of the restroom, she hears the quiet sounds of voices. Curious, she plans to check who were. . .

Oh no. She has to walk in one of the worst things she has to see. Tiffere places a peck on Amaya's lips, placing a hand over her back. They're on a date. Shit. They are on a freaking date.

Zari's heart stutters against her brittle rib cage, close to shattering it. It's an exaggeration but that's how she feels. She. . . can't think. Her mind's processing all of this, and a dizziness fills her head.

They pull back from the brief kiss, looking at each other with a soft expression.

Zari rushes off into another direction, not in the right mood to seek for an explanation. She should have known they were an item. She's fine. Maybe she can stress bake when she's back home.

She knows she's taking the cowards way out, but there's nothing else she can do.  
And somebody gets in her way, blocking her from leaving. She's too tired to deal with this bullshit. But a pair of brown eyes stop her.

"Zari, Zari, you have some serious soul-searching to do." Taranee grasps Zari by her shoulders, gently shaking her. She stares up into her eyes again. "It's so painfully obvious you're moping over this girl. Don't let someone like Tiffere steal your chance away from you."

Zari wants to get away from her, not liking how she's trying to meddle into this situation. Maybe she wanted to check on her and found her gawking on the moment between Amaya and Tiffere.

"Why do you care?" Zari flexes her fingers as tension gathers on her body. "It doesn't matter. I don't care."

Taranee seems to be watching her though like she knows it's actually bothering her. However, she doesn't call her out and leans back.

"Try to do something about it though, okay?" Taranee requests, keeping a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're intimidated by Tiffere's popularity, but honestly, I'm sure Amaya does consider you more interesting."

"How would you know?" Zari chokes out.

She hates how her voice sounds on the verge of breaking instead of challenging. She hates how she's letting Tiffere get on her nerves.

Taranee pats her shoulder before removing her hand. "Trust me, it's a simple intuition on my part."

Alright. Maybe Taranee has a point and if Zari's petty enough, she would prove her wrong. However, she's too weary to even do that.

She nods, before searching for Amaya. She's probably still around the spot, where she was with Tiffere.

Even it has the potential of making her look like a fool, she's going to try.

And that's when she finds somebody else leaning against the wall beside the door. Her blood pressure rises, running in her veins.

"Hello, Chef," Tiffere greets with a simple dismissal wave. "Looking for something? Your dignity, perhaps?"

Ugh. The nerve of this woman trying to make that burn. Even Mick could do better than that and literally.

Zari stands on her ground, clearing her throat.

"It's Prep Chef to you, Miss Fetching," Zari mutters, folding her arms across her chest. "Where's Amaya?"

"Just doing her business in the restroom," Tiffere answers, examining her perfect cuticles.

"Is there a chance, I can talk to her?"

Tiffere squints at her, before glancing upwards.

"I don't think she's in the mood to talk to you."

"Let me guess, you're telling her to stay away from me?" Zari asks wryly, even if a part of her chest constricts at that.

Tiffere flicks a hand over her nose. "What she does with you in a personal way is none of my concern. But if you think you can snatch her away from me, don't bother."

The restroom door swings open, revealing Amaya appearing flushed and almost dazed. Tiffere steps back, giving a crooked grin.

"Hey, Amaya," Zari murmurs, trying to not curl into herself.

"Hi, Zari," Amaya replies, a faint smile plastering her face. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good." Her voice sounds distant and far away. "And you?"

Someone clears their throat, gaining Amaya's attention.

"Wait, Tiffere, I'll be waiting for you in the cab," Amaya says quickly, turning on her heel. "We'll be there in time for the symphony playing in Amber Hall."

Just like that, she turns her attention off on Zari like a simple switch of a button. She flinches from that, a painful tightness forming on her throat.

Tiffere stalks over to her, a smug smile tugging her lips.

"Oh by the way, Chef, Amaya couldn't help but make a painting that captures my superior essence," Tiffere adds, handing a huge portrait covered in a wrapping. "You can have it, so now you'll figure out what real success looks like. Ta-ta!"

Her nemesis (let's be honest here, that's what their relationship is turning into) leaves Zari all by herself, standing alone with the 'present'. Maybe she should go home and let Diva cheer her up.

What a fun night, wasn't it?

  
***

  
The cat licks herself, laying down on the floor, in the middle of a self-bath. She makes an ashamed face at her, and she should have done that when she tried tearing her furniture into shreds.

Well, at least, somebody feels bad for almost ruining her life.

"Kitty, if you can rip my heart out instead of my furniture," Zari says to the cat, levelling a finger at her, "that would be great. Thanks."

Diva adjusts in her position, stopping the self-cleaning. She meows, glancing up with her hazel eyes filled with something that she doesn't understand. The cat trails her and it's actually comforting to have her presence, right now.

Hanging the picture on the empty space on the wall, Zari begins to examine the trav—

Oh, oh, wow. Amaya's got the talent and it's shown in the strokes, colors and the neo style. It evokes feelings from Zari— mainly negative ones.

This painting really brings out the in Tiffere's expression. She stands, poised and confident, clutching on the spear beside an arc with a bowl of fruit on it. She's wearing an outfit like those Greek women in Ancient times. A Helen of Troy sort of style that makes people want to start war in her name. Damn it, if they hung out more often, Zari would have been aware of Amaya's painting abilities.

What does Amaya see in Tiffere that Zari doesn't? Like why she even painted this? Why does she have feelings for someone that's not classy?

Tiffere's getting on her nerves, and Zari suspects she's not really trying either.

Yes, she admires the way Amaya painted this but. . . Not the person in it. In fact, it's distasteful that Tiffere gave this to someone, whose life she wants to ruin. To Zari, of all people.

And then Zari laughs- out of amusement or misery, she doesn't know. 

What she does know is that she has to sell it. C'mon, there's no way she's seriously keeping this work of art in her house. Letting that face haunt her, every second of every day. So, she sells it and flops down to the sofa. She covers her face with her hands as her shoulders drops.

Diva meows at her, staring at her with some softness she hasn't seen before. It resembles pity and concern. Zari picks up the kitty and buries her face in her fur. Diva doesn't protest, staying still on her lap.

"What will I do?" Zari mumbles. "What am I going to do, Diva? Everything's so damn messed up, right now."

The cat responds with a purr, snuggling the top of head over her chin.

Zari's getting worried about Amaya getting closer to Tiffere. And she hopes she doesn't, because Tiffere isn't what she seems and can't take it if Amaya gets hurt. She'll rather get insulted again by Tiffere than watch her get away with crushing Amaya's heart.

Things are only just getting worse. All she could do is hope that she can get through the whole masquerade in one piece.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to ramble with me, you can @enchanted-lightning-aes in tumblr!


End file.
